This Friday, thousands of volunteers are coming together for a one-day, county-wide clean-up in Limerick.
It is part of Team Limerick Clean-Up (TLC), which is celebrating its tenth year.
Over 500 tonnes of litter have been collected by the group over the years, as it takes action to keep Limerick clean and tidy.
TLC was founded in 2015, the brainchild of Helen O'Donnell, Paul O'Connell and JP McManus.
"We wanted something special. Something that would be good for the environment. Something that would be positive for Limerick.
"We came up with a one-day clean-up, which turned out to be Good Friday. So, we got a small group of people together, and 10 years on, we're still doing it," said co-founder Ms O’Donnell.
It inspired such pride and enthusiasm all over the county of Limerick.
"TLC for us is about pride of place. Pride in our own place. Pride in our county. And pride in our beautiful city of Limerick," said Michael Collins, Chair of Caherconlish Tidy Towns.
Bridie Collins, chair of Adare Tidy Towns describes it as "a really good day."
"It's a community day. It's a day for getting out there with your county jersey on or your club jersey on and it's about being part of the parish. And I think that's the real essence and the true story of TLC," continues Ms Collins.
Up to 25,000 volunteers, businesses, sports clubs, and a record 96 schools are participating this year.
Local schools also take part in the clean-up.
Though they are not available on Good Friday, they tackle the rubbish before they are off for their Easter holidays.
Our Lady's Abbey Girls National School in Adare was just one of the schools to join the clean-up a week early.
"The number one thing we see is cigarettes butts and big bottles of water," said Aoife Dowling, a 4th Class pupil.
"It's very important to keep our community clean," said Isabel O’Donoghue, who is in 3rd Class.
As a partner of TLC, Limerick City and County Council has supported Team Limerick Clean-Up since its inception.
Pádraig Malone, Programme Manager at Limerick City and County Council, said that the huge effort "greatly enhances the appeal of our streetscapes and public spaces and certainly has made a big impact on our UN Sustainable Goals".
Businesses in Limerick are very supportive too.
The pharmaceutical company Regeneron employs about 2,000 people at its Limerick plant and has been part of TLC since the beginning. In 2015, 40 volunteers signed up. This year, there are 250.
By Friday evening, plenty of rubbish will have been collected throughout the county, after thousands of volunteers get to work, showing that TLC is not just a clean-up but a celebration of Limerick’s community spirit.
For more on Team Limerick Clean-Up, tune into Nationwide this evening at 7pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player. The Clean-Up is scheduled for Friday, 18 April 2025.
