The Gum Litter Taskforce (GLT) brought it’s Summer Roadshow to the streets of Limerick this week in conjunction with Limerick City and County Council. The interactive Roadshow works with local authorities and communities across the country to carry out fun and engaging education and awareness initiatives that 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 (2023) also reflect this behavioural change, showing a continuous decline of percentage of gum as a proportion of litter at 8.6.
The GLT research also found that the biggest deterrent of gum litter is peer pressure, however 1 in 4 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, the chewing gum industry, and Local Authorities which has played a key role in promoting proper gum litter disposal, since its launch in 2007.
Now in its seventeenth year, 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.
Environmental Awareness Officer at Limerick City and County Council, Helen Kenneally welcomed the Taskforce to Limerick, saying:
“Limerick City and County Council is supportive of the Gum Litter Taskforce campaign and is delighted that the campaign visited Limerick City Centre to highlight the negative effects of incorrect disposal of chewing gum. Although the overall gum litter trend is on a downward trajectory since monitoring began in 2004, we cannot be complacent and every effort should be made by people to “Bin Your Gum” and Keep Limerick a clean and inviting place to live, work and visit. We look forward to seeing the progressive positive change the campaign brings to Limerick in the future."
Gum Litter Taskforce Project Manager, Avril Donlon of Food Drink Ireland said:
“We are delighted to launch the 2024 Gum Litter Taskforce campaign, with the support of the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications. 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.”
Katrine Grytter, Corporate Affairs Director, Mars Wrigley Northern Europe and Ireland said:
“We are very proud of the continued success of Gum Litter Taskforce campaign at Mars Wrigley and delighted with the continued support from the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, Food Drink Ireland and local authorities. The campaign helps to teach younger generations about the negative impacts of gum and other litter and promotes an eco-conscious mindset. We look forward to the continued success of GLT campaign and its supporting bodies in 2024.”
This year’s campaign will see representatives from the Gum Litter Taskforce working with local authorities and communities to carry out education and awareness initiatives that demonstrate the proper means of gum disposal and raise awareness of the environmental and fiscal impacts of improper disposal.
Then, 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 the end of this cycle. This is in addition to useful lesson plan material that has been made available to almost 730 schools across Ireland.