AT A time when the tourism industry is struggling to provide enjoyable holiday experiences for overseas visitors, it is a shame that some of our largest supermarkets are contributing to a dirty, heavily littered environment. There is no excuse for highly profitable companies damaging the quality of life in major centres of population. And heavily littered environments do just that, encouraging dumping, graffiti and general neglect. The outcome is a turn-off for visitors and a loss of business all around.
A recent survey by Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) found the entrances, car parks and surrounding pavements of supermarkets to be the most littered areas in many towns. They were twice as likely to be seriously littered as other parts. This is an appalling situation and reflects extremely badly on the management of the companies concerned and on those local authorities that fail to enforce the law. It is so pervasive that IBAL chairman Dr Tom Cavanagh accused local authorities of turning a blind eye to commercial litter offenders.
The worst supermarket offender, in terms of the number of seriously littered sites visited, was Tesco. One would hope that this does not reflect a drive to increase profits at the expense of general cleanliness and the provision of litter bins. In fairness, the company’s store in Monaghan was found to be clean to European standards. In the same way, Dunnes Stores outlets were found to be “seriously littered” in some towns, but clean in others. Lidl and Aldi stores performed patchily. But all Superquinn outlets were found to be clean.
It is unacceptable when commercial enterprises and local authorities ignore the efforts being made by volunteer workers and tidy town committees. No matter how anxious local people might be to improve their environment, they are handicapped in the absence of a genuine commitment by local authorities. If named council officials are not made responsible for anti-litter campaigns through the motivation of street cleaners, overseeing the prosecution of offenders, providing and emptying litter bins and liaising with local communities, little will change.
Even in hard times, there is no reason why litter should be tolerated. It is acknowledged that it is dumped by customers. Considerable progress has been made in banishing litter from the vicinity of schools. But supermarkets, fast-food outlets and pubs continue to generate a large amount of rubbish. If children can keep their schools clean, why can’t supermarkets follow that lead?