Southsiders urged to bin the gum

SOUTHSIDERS have been urged to

‘Bin It Your Way’ as part of a Gum Litter Taskforce (GLT) campaign boost that took place alongside the outdoor Movies in the Park event in Marley Park last week.

The evening was a riot of colour with eye-catching ads displayed on GLT ad-bikes, a special media bike and a 530-square foot screen.

Students from Colaiste Eoin and Rathmichael Parish School also helped remind the public to bin their gum when their short animations

‘Kung Fu Badger’ and

‘Bonfire’ were played during the intervals.

The Bin It Your Way campaign is in its third year and promotes the correct disposal of gum litter in a fun and energetic way.

A survey conducted at the end of last year’s campaign showed a baseline reduction in gum litter of 33 per cent while a post campaign attitude survey found that 93 per cent of people believe that disposing of gum irresponsibly is littering.

Latest figures from the Department of the Environment’s 2013 National Litter Pollution Monitoring System Report also show that gum litter continues to decrease from 30.7 per cent in 2008 to 15.3 per cent in 2013.

Cllr Gerry Horkan, who was ably supported by the

‘Gum Busters’, was at the event in the park.

“I am delighted to support this event and encourage the public to

‘Bin It Your Way’,

? he said.

“Littering is unacceptable, this campaign has been successful in promoting this message and we are proud to be a part of such an important campaign.

?

Paul Kelly, chair of the GLT added:

“This campaign has a simple but important message that we want to communicate in a fun and memorable way.

“The GLT work closely with local authorities around the country to ensure that used gum is disposed of in a responsible manner.

“Today we introduced our interactive app that people can play while out and about on the streets which will prompt people to think about their own behaviour and attitude to gum litter.

?

The Bin It Your Way game is available free to download from the App store and Google Play.

Each of the local authorities will hold a mid campaign boost in the coming weeks. The 28 local authorities participating include Dublin, Dún Laoghaire Rathdown, South Dublin and Fingal.