*Mark Molloy, Assistant EAO, Galway County Council; Avril Donlon, Project Manager, Food Drink Ireland; and Tomás Clancy, Community Warden, Galway County Council during the Gum Litter Taskforce (GLT) Summer Roadshow in Athenry. Photo Ray Ryan.
AS PART of its summer roadshow, the Gum Litter Taskforce (GLT) took to the streets of Athenry on Friday.
Fun and engaging initiatives are completed in the interactive roadshow which works with local authorities and communities across the country to demonstrate the proper means of gum disposal and raise awareness of the environmental and fiscal impacts of gum litter.
Now in its seventeenth year, the campaign is a collaboration between Food Drink Ireland, the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, the chewing gum industry, and local authorities.
One in seven people continue to drop their gum on the ground, according to new findings from the Gum Litter Taskforce (GLT), the national awareness campaign which aims to make gum litter an issue of the past. This accounts for 19% of men and 9% of women, showing a higher tendency in men to not properly dispose of their gum.
Attitudes towards gum litter continue to change, as children are educated on the negative environmental and fiscal impacts of gum litter. The GLT 2023 campaign had a positive impact on both attitudes and behaviour regarding gum disposal, with a 5% increase in those reporting ‘always’ or ‘usually’ putting their chewed gum in the bin, bringing the figure to a record high of 92%. The latest results of the National Litter Pollution Monitoring report (2022) also reflect this behavioural change, showing a continuous decline of percentage of gum as a proportion of litter at 8.6%.
Research from the GLT also found that the biggest deterrent of gum litter is peer pressure, however 1 in 4 of state they have changed their behaviour as a result of the educational messaging from the Bin-it campaign. The findings highlight the continued impact of the GLT, a joint initiative of the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, Food Drink Ireland, and the chewing gum industry, which has played a key role in promoting proper gum litter disposal, since its launch in 2007.
The GLT campaign travels across the country, working with local authorities to host its Summer Roadshow, which promotes responsible gum disposal by highlighting the environmental impacts of gum and general litter. This is supplemented by the ‘Bin It!’ school roadshow and a social media campaign to target 16–24-year-olds.
A further positive impact of the campaign is evident from the 16% of young people who reported having stopped the habit of ‘dropping or spitting’ gum recently post campaign.
Supporting the Roadshow in Co. Galway, the Cathaoirleach of the County of Galway, Cllr. Albert Dolan (FF) said, “The Gum Litter Taskforce Roadshow is an important reminder to the whole community that we must continue to reduce our litter and protect our local environment”.
Welcoming the Roadshow to Galway, Deputy Chief Executive of Galway County Council, Uinsinn Finn stated, “We are delighted to welcome back the Gum Litter Taskforce to Galway. The Roadshow is an excellent opportunity to educate the public on the benefits of responsibly disposing of gum litter and to encourage positive, sustainable behaviour”.
Director of Services Rural & Community Development, Integration and Environment, Jacqueline Carroll noted, “The reduction of gum litter in recent years is a testament to the success of the campaign, and we look forward to seeing the progressive positive change the campaign brings in years to come”.
Gum Litter Taskforce Executive, Avril Donlon of Food Drink Ireland said, “The results of the campaign are evident, and we are thrilled that 1 in 4 people state the GLT campaign as the reason for deterring them from littering gum. Last year we delivered significant results, with a record number of schools participating in the Bin It! Education programme, and we really look forward to what the 2024 campaign has in store”.
In September, the Gum Litter Taskforce’s Bin It! education programme will travel across the country and deliver 60 performances a year to primary and secondary schools nationwide, with the ambition to visit 180 schools by 2025. This is in addition to lesson plan material that has been made available to almost 730 schools across Ireland.
