6 Tidiness and Litter Control
Not only is this section about not seeing litter strewn on the ground, it's about having well-presented homes, shop fronts, and businesses. The absence of anything that doesn't add to the best presentation of the neighbourhood.
Competition Guide Notes:
TIDINESS: General lack of clutter, blocked footpaths, redundant poles, unsightly overhead electric cables, absence of graffiti and fly-posting and evidence of control of weed growth at kerbs. Absence of unsightly and or inappropriate advertising, such as that on gables of buildings and mass produced advertising banners in shop fronts. Please note that although general tidiness is evaluated and marked in this category, tidiness is also considered under other categories including the Streetscape & Public Places, Approach Roads, Streets & Lanes.
LITTER: The adjudicator will assess the absence of litter and dumping, evidence of litter control strategy, including regular litter patrols, segregation of collected litter during clean-ups and promotion of anti-litter awareness throughout community.
2023-24 Summary
(N) Monthly Cleaning Blitz Day
The first Saturday morning in May was the inaugural monthly action day event. A team effort from members of The Lighthouse Church achieved 80 manhours of work from 20+ volunteers attending to litter pick, weeding, and painting over graffiti.
Going forward we plan to host a community action day on either the first Friday or Saturday of every month to show their pride in our area.
(M) Plastic Waste Avoided?
Local Councillor Elections are expected June 7th and in 2019 and 2020 we successfully prevented the streetscape being littered with political plastic posters.
We have asked all potential candidates not to erect street posters along Johnstown's Green Km. This looks like a challenging year with dozens of posters erected on the night of May 7th despite our request.
(N) Student Volunteers
From Coláiste Na Mí
Today was a day of action for our Coláiste Na Mí Green School Committee and Coordinator Iníon Elliot!
Together, they took charge of cleaning up the road leading to our school. Our incredible students worked hard, scraping weeds to prevent harmful pesticides from being sprayed and protecting our water from contamination. Plus, they did a fantastic job clearing away litter, making our environment cleaner and healthier for everyone.
A huge shoutout to Alan A Lawes and Robin from Johnstown Tidy Towns, as well as Tuscany Pizzeria, for their incredible support. They treated us to a delicious well-deserved lunch after our efforts!
A massive thank you to everyone involved for making today both productive and enjoyable. Let's keep working together for a greener, cleaner future!
(N) Water Heritage Day
Following the success of the Riverside clean in April 2023 we participated in the 2nd event headed by Wild About Navan August 20th. We also envisage hosting local riverside clean-up and guided walks once we've formulated our Community Biodiversity Action Plan. Thanks to Meath County Council Local Authority Waters Programme and The Heritage Council for their support.
We participated in the 3 events organised by #WildAboutNavan:
The Big Boyne clean-up along the Ramparts
Adults and kids alike helped haul 3 trolleys and 30 bags of rubbish from along our walkway. Most of the litter was composed of bottles, single use plastic, and vapes.
The Ramparts riverside nature walk
Botanist Sinéad took us for a wander to learn more about what wildlife we can find along the Ramparts.
The River Boyne Guided Cycle with Navan Cycling Initiative
NCI and local geologist extraordinaire Dr Robbie Meehan took us on a relaxed bike ride to learn about the geodiversity of the Boyne Valley right here in Navan.
(M) Summer Meadow edges
We strive to make the 'wild look tamed' by presenting a neat edge.
(M) Stop Weedkiller Use
In 2022 we were unsuccessful in obtaining a grant to purchase and operate the Foamstream System but the Council offered assistance collecting the weed debris using their road sweeper. This significantly increased the efficiency and reduced the manhours required to clear 4km of road and 10km of edging during 2023.
Now in 2024 the Council has offered to maintain the edging along the Green Km stretch using a new brush system that could mean fewer action days manually removing the weeds.
(N) Apartments Replace Athlumney Centre Map Ref 12
Within one year the change has been significant, the derelict and rundown shopping centre was demolished in May 2022 and new modern apartments were created and fully occupied in late 2023 early 2024. These have significantly improved the welcoming image of Johnstown.
Clear The Clutter Map Ref 3
As part of our MCC Green Km initiative we made a request in 2023 to remove the two 'out of date' and very large National Development Plan signs at the Bothar Sion bus stop. We will repeat the request in 2024.
