Portlaoise has fallen ten places according to the latest survey by business group Irish Business against Litter (IBAL).
The Anti-Litter League sees Portlaoise tumble from 11th to 21st place in the table.
Last year, Portlaoise was the cleanest town in the Midlands but that accolade now rests with Athlone who rose up from 12th to second and were just edged out by Fermoy in Cork.
Despite the fall, IBAL still states that Portlaoise is as clean as European norms.
An Taisce assessed litter levels in 40 towns and cities on behalf of IBAL.
This year, it found that just under 90% of areas were clean, with a top tier of 13 towns deemed “cleaner than European Norms”.
Last year’s winner Ennis, dropped to 22 place while Waterford remained the country’s cleanest city.
Finishing just behind winners Fermoy were Athlone and Killarney, while Galway City Ballybane and Dublin North Inner City came in at the bottom of the rankings, described as “seriously littered”.
As runners-up, Athlone and Killarney will each receive a number of Norway maple trees, courtesy of the Irish Tree Centre in Cork.
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