Iconic Keem Bay ranked 'moderately littered' in survey

ONE of Mayo's most iconic beaches has been deemed as 'moderately littered' in a new survey by business group Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL).

The group's annual survey found that Keem Bay was to be 'moderately littered' while Old Head retained it's 'clean' status from last year. 

The two popular beaches were part of a study of 33 areas nationwide. This survey revealed that most littered areas had been cleaned up. However, the majority of beaches surveyed fell short of clean status, despite the unsettled summer meaning lower visitor numbers.    

The An Taisce report for Old Head said that there were 'minimal items' to be seen throughout the beach.

The Clew Bay beach recently regained its Blue Flag status eleven years after losing it. 

_{Old Head beach near Louisburgh}

"This year's good result is very much in line with Old Head's strong performance in 2022," stated the An Taisce report.

"There were very minimal items to be seen throughout.  A welcome feature is the 'Beach Toy Trolley' - it could be a great way to find a home for any 'stray' beach toys left on the beach. 'Old Head Blueway' signage looked very well.  The other visitor information signage was freshly presented and well maintained.  Picnic tables / seating were in good order. Excellent cigarette butt notices attached to the various butt facilities 'Cigarette Butts are Deadly to Marine Life, Keep your Butts off our Beach' - there were some but not many butts throughout the survey area. Marine related items included fishing lines / nets / ropes but there were not too many of same."

The An Taisce report for Keem beach found the remnants of camp fires, foot related items, and washing machine drum among the items left on the beach.

Located on the west coast of Achill Island, Keem beach was named 48th on Big 7 Travel's annual list of 'The 50 Best Beaches In The World' earlier this year. It's popularity has increase since being used as a location for the filming of the Hollywood hit 'The Banshees of Inisheerin'. 

"This remote and very picturesque beach setting was generally quite good with regard to litter and overall presentation," the An Taisce report noted. 

"Visitor information notices were in good order with some seemingly new 'No Camp Fire' signage - clearly there is a need for such signage based on the various fire remnants. Many of the litter bins were very fresh in appearance.  There were too many food and marine related items on the beach to get the top litter grade - this is certainly achievable (as in 2022) with a little extra care and attention by the users of the beach environment. As well as the remnants of the camp fires and food related items, various articles of clothing, rope / nets / fishing line were present, not in large quantities.  Miscellaneous items included a washing machine drum."

Beaches, harbours, rivers and their immediate environs were monitored by An Taisce in June and July. While there was a 50 per cent rise in clean sites overall, the survey again found our coastal areas to be more littered than our towns, which IBAL researches as part of its Anti-Litter League programme.

"Over an unsettled summer, where our beaches attracted far fewer numbers than normal, one might have expected the majority to be virtually free of litter," said Conor Horgan of IBAL.

"Unfortunately, this does not reflect the state of our coastal environment. There is much 'long lie' litter and waste coming in from the sea, and this is compounded by litter from those who continue to frequent our coastline despite the inclement weather."

IBAL credits the Clean Coasts programme, which supports over 2,000 volunteer groups, as a major force in ridding our coasts of litter throughout the year. Its annual ‘Big Beach Clean’ takes place nationwide each September. The continued rise in volunteers, now in excess of 40,000, reflects the growing public concern around the marine environment.