Vapes a litter issue on West Cork beaches

FOUR coastal areas in West Cork – Castletownbere, Bantry, Kinsale, and Ballinacurra – have failed the litter standards set out in an annual coastal litter survey. The survey, commissioned by Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) and carried out by An Taisce in June and July, also shows discarded vapes are a growing cause of concern.

An Taisce found standards in Castletownbere to have slipped compared to 2022 and noted that a lot of food and alcohol debris had washed up below the car park to the side of the ferry pier. A significant amount of marine debris, such as fishing crates, buoys, floats, nets, ropes, wooden pallets, and some polystyrene were reported, as well as building materials, a discarded clothes horse, graffiti, and fly-posting.

John Murphy, chairperson of Castletownbere Tidy Towns and Beara Tourism Development Association, said the description makes Castletownbere sound like ‘Beirut’ when in fact it is of a good standard. ‘We did a massive clean-up of the harbor last year by collecting between 120 and 150 bags off the shoreline,’ said Mr. Murphy, ‘and we did another one this year, but not to the same level. ‘Inland towns don’t have the same problem with floating debris brought in by storms like the busy commercial and fishing ports of Castletownbere and Bantry,’ he added.

Mr. Murphy said annual clean-ups are necessary, but he asked if tidy towns committees, the local authority, or the Department of the Marine are responsible. ‘If it falls to tidy towns committees, you are talking about voluntary labor,’ he said.

Bantry harbor area wasn’t too heavily littered, but there was litter at the recycling facility and at the picnic area, while the car park at the marina and the piers were littered with miscellaneous items, such as an old bicycle, tubes, and car tires, and lots of cigarette butts.

‘Bantry Tidy Towns are doing a fantastic job – they are at it day and night,’ said Danielle Delaney, chairperson of Bantry Business Association. ‘Great credit is due to their volunteers, so this could serve as a reminder to people, please don’t litter.