The fact that the cities of Dublin and Cork continue to project an image of "the dirty Irish" should not distract attention from the significant progress that has been made in recent years by other local authorities. The latest litter-monitoring survey by Irish Businesses Against Litter found there has been a major improvement in the cleanliness of many cities and towns, with eight of the 30 locations surveyed being described as "litter free".
Two years ago, only three towns qualified in that category. The number of towns designated as "litter blackspots" or as being "seriously littered" fell from 15 to four.
The improvements show what can be achieved once civic pride is harnessed and local authorities, the business community and ordinary citizens pull together. Public squalor and litter have a negative impact on the hospitality sector. If Ireland is to develop as a high value-added tourist destination, then the least that visitors can expect is that the place will be kept clean.
Dublin, which attracts a growing percentage of the short-stay business, has a particular problem. The notion of "dear old dirty Dublin" might have vague nostalgic connotations but the vast majority of people object to unnecessary dirt. In the same way, Cork must clean up its act before it goes on display next year as the European Capital of Culture.
Foundations for the improvements that are now apparent were laid four years ago when the Government announced details of a national litter plan and introduced legislation providing for on-the-spot litter fines. The introduction of new penalties and the employment of litter wardens gave important public signals of intent.
More important, however, was the encouragement of local authorities to prioritise their anti-litter campaigns and to liase with local business and community agencies in bringing about cleaner urban areas. Some of the money raised through the tax on plastic bags was also committed to anti-litter measures.
A significant distance has been travelled in changing the public's attitude towards litter. But more needs to be done at local authority and communal levels. In particular, extra litter bins are required in practically all districts. The unhealthy and unhappy phenomenon of over-flowing litter bins in holiday destinations, during the height of the summer season, must become a thing of the past.
It is not rocket science. Local authorities must make it easy for the public to become good citizens. They must provide more bins, introduce a more frequent street-cleaning regime and have an active civics programme. If they do that, the transformation that is underway in many parts of the country can be brought to fruition.