Gum Litter Taskforce launches 2021 campaign on gum littering

Mayor of South Dublin County councillor Ed O’Brien has officially launched the Gum Litter Taskforce’s gum litter education campaign for south Dublin, urging all people to ‘bin their gum when they’re done’

The Gum Litter Taskforce (GLT) is an environmental initiative that was set up to develop and implement an awareness campaign to reduce gum litter in the most sustainable way.

“The GLT initiative has made very real and significant improvements in relation to gum litter awareness and disposal behaviour over the last 14 years since its inception in 2007,” says South Dublin County Council.

“The 2019 campaign maintained an all-time high of 93% of people stating that they regard chewing gum as litter, up from 74% when the campaign first began in 2007, pointing to the attitudinal impact which the campaign has had.”

The campaign is looking to build on from previous years’ campaigns and is making a return for 2021 after being postponed last year due to COVID-19.

Unlike previous years, national and local events promoting the campaign will be held virtually with social media also being used to highlight the initiative.

Research commissioned by the Gum Litter Taskforce and conducted by Kantar Millward Brown during the 2019 campaign highlighted the campaign’s continued positive effect on people’s behaviour towards gum disposal.

In 2019, the results showed that 88% of people said that they always dispose of their gum correctly, which was up from 54% when the campaign first began.

This shift in public behaviour has been evident throughout the 13 years that the campaign has been running, as the proportion of gum as a percentage of litter has decreased by 64%.

Speaking at the launch, Mayor of South Dublin County Council, Cllr. Ed O’Brien said: “We can never underestimate the pride that people have in their local towns and villages.

“As ever, I am confident that the people throughout south Dublin will do their town and local community proud by getting behind the Gum Litter Taskforce campaign in an effort to invoke positive change within their local communities.”

Paul Kelly, Chairman of the GLT added: “It is great to see the GLT campaign return and continue its success in changing the public’s behaviour towards gum litter.

“Since 2007, we have seen a significant decline in the amount of gum litter present throughout the streets, villages and towns of Ireland.

“Alongside the Green Schools, Tidy Towns and Neat Streets programmes, this campaign aims to play a significant role in the overall reduction of litter and contribute to the betterment of the environment.

“The relaunch of the GLT campaign in its revised format this year, along with our advertising campaign and Bin It! school education programme, can only be successful through continued support from our schools and local communities.”