Dundalk is Ireland's cleanest town, according to a new survey.
The Co Louth town topped the Irish Business Against Litter's (Ibal) league table for 2007, beating Cavan and Fermoy, who came in second and third.
The award was made at a ceremony in the Conrad Hotel in Dublin today.
According to the Ibal survey, the level of litter in Irish towns has improved over the past five years, with 22 of 50 towns declared by the organisation to be litter-free. This compares to only two named as such in 2002, when the first Ibal survey was done.
Killarney, Galway, Drogheda and Waterford were among those found to be litter-free, while Maynooth, Kilkenny and Limerick were classed as moderately littered.
However, some black spots still remain, with Tallaght, Nenagh and Mallow bottom of the table. Sligo was named as Ireland's dirtiest town. Athlone, Cork city, Dún Laoghaire and Enniscorthy were listed as "seriously littered".
Ibal chairman Dr Tom Cavanagh, blamed bad town planning for Tallaght's litter problem. "Pride in one's locality, which is a key driver of well maintained environs, suffers when tightly knit communities are replaced by vast urban sprawls," he said.
An increase in the amount of fast food litter was also noted by the report, with a 30 per cent rise year on year.
Dr Cavanagh urged the Government to enforce the Litter Act, under which businesses are required to keep the area around their premises litter-free.
"It is a shame that while overall litter levels are improving, some forms of litter are appearing more frequently," he said.
Approach roads, roundabouts and ring roads to towns are also causing problems, with passing traffic generating a significant amount of litter, the report said.
