Gum taskforce sticks to task

ONE in seven people continue to drop their gum on the ground, according to findings from the Gum Litter Taskforce.

The Gum Litter Taskforce is a national awareness campaign which aims to reduce and change attitudes towards gum litter. Representatives recently made a visit to Bantry as part of the national awareness campaign.

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 impacts of improper
disposal.

County Mayor Cllr Joe Carroll welcomed the roadshow to West Cork. ‘We are delighted to see the Gum Litter Taskforce visiting Bantry. It is a great initiative that helps us to educate and inform the people of Cork of the negative impacts of gum litter on our local community. 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.’

The GLT research also found that the biggest deterrent of gum litter is peer pressure, however one in four state they have changed their behaviour as a result of the educational messaging from the Bin It! campaign, a school roadshow and social media campaign targeting 16–24-year-olds.

This month, 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.