Chewing your part for the community
A new campaign which seeks to unstick the old bad habits of chewing gum disposal has been launched in Mallow.
The latest education campaign to be rolled out by the Gum Litter Taskforce (GLT) will work to positively influence people’s behaviour and attitude towards gum disposal.
The Gum Litter Taskforce has been successful to date in changing the public’s behaviour by encouraging correct gum disposal through a targeted education and awareness campaign.
The GLT includes representatives of the chewing gum industry, Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment; Food Drink Ireland; local authority representatives and civic society.
Last year’s campaign maintained an all-time high of 93 per cent of people stating that they regard chewing gum as litter, up from 74 per cent when the campaign first began in 2007.
The latest results show that 88 per cent of people said that they always dispose of their gum correctly, up from 54 per cent when the campaign first began.
Officially launching the campaign in Mallow was Cllr Pat Hayes, who said: “The campaign is a fantastic initiative which harnesses community spirit and channels it towards achieving the common goal of ridding our streets of littered gum.
“I am delighted to see local communities from right across the county coming together again this year under the GLT banner in an effort to make a positive change within their respective localities.”
The 2019 campaign is the second in a three year cycle and is the fourth to take place, with previous campaign cycles running between 2007-2009, 2012-2014 and 2015-2017.
The campaign includes a four month mass media campaign and a schools education programme aimed at first year secondary school students called Bin It!.
Paul Kelly, Chairman of the GLT said: “Since its inception, the GLT campaign has sought to educate the public on the correct manner in which to dispose of used gum in a bid to tackle improper gum disposal.
“The latest research results have shown how this ambition has been made a reality.
“Going forward, we will look to build on these positive results further still and will continue in our efforts to fully rid our streets of littered gum.”
A total of 26 local authorities will participate in the nationwide campaign with each set to launch its own campaign in the coming weeks.
Katherine Hogan, Corporate Affairs Director, Mars Ireland, said: “Through awareness raising and educational initiatives, the GLT campaign has had demonstrable success to date in changing behaviour and attitudes towards gum litter.
“Mars Wrigley Ireland are delighted once again to be part of this positive and vibrant campaign.”