Killarney has maintained its position in the top ten of the latest Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) survey, securing 9th place out of 40 towns and cities surveyed nationwide. The town was officially deemed to be ‘Cleaner than European Norms’.

The accompanying report by An Taisce praised Killarney for delivering a solid performance, noting that there were no heavily littered sites found within the town boundaries.
Several local areas received top marks for maintenance and presentation. Main Street was highlighted as exceptionally well-presented, while Park Road, Muckross Road, and the Knockreer Playground and environs were also singled out for praise. The report noted that the playground area was in very good order across all elements.
However, the inspectors did highlight some areas for improvement. The JYSK site showed slight progress compared to the previous survey but remained classified as moderately littered. The report warned that care must be taken to prevent the location from deteriorating further.
On a national level, IBAL representative Conor Horgan noted that entering the peak tourist season, the country has fewer littered areas than at any time in the past 25 years.
Despite the introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), the survey highlighted a national rise in specific waste items. Plastic bottles were found in 19% of all surveyed sites across the country, and drinks cans were present in 22%. The prevalence of coffee cups also reached its highest level since 2023, alongside an increase in cigarette butt litter.

Carlise Caffrey was announced as a Technological University Dublin winner at the inaugural Future Timber Design Awards, a new initiative established by Forest Industries Ireland (FII).

The Future Timber Design Awards were developed by FII to encourage sustainable and innovative timber design and construction. The programme aims to bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world application, equipping students with the latest knowledge and skills in using homegrown timber for construction.
Carlise, from Ballyspillane, alongside fellow TU Dublin architecture students Anna Frawley and Henry Sexton from County Dublin, received an Honourable Mention for their joint project. The team focused on designing a small shelter using timber offcuts found in the university’s workshop. Titled ‘Afterlife’, the shelter repurposed timber offcuts and salvaged fabric to create a movable and foldable structure with multiple functions.
“The fold-up shelter was made from offcuts, so the whole project was about sustainability,” Carlise told the Killarney Advertiser. “The design means it can be scaled to any size, which is ideal if you are hosting people outdoors in the summer but want to pack it all away for the winter.”
The competition tasked participants with exploring the potential of homegrown timber as a primary structural and architectural material while responding to real-world design constraints.
Des O’Toole, Head of Marketing and Promotion at Coillte Forests, presented the award to Carlise and said that the competition will expand next year to accept entries from other universities.