Gum litter campaign sticks

A NEW three-year programme has been launched to combat the scourge of gum litter.

Lord Mayor of Dublin Críona Ní́Dhálaigh attended the official launch of the 2015 Gum Litter Taskforce (GLT) education campaign at St Stephen’s Green.

The launch follows an agreement between the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and Food and Drink Industry Ireland (FDII), representing the gum industry, to fund a national awareness programme from 2015-2017.

New mechanisms have been agreed to further enhance and reinvigorate the campaign which represents a multi-million euro commitment by industry to tackle the problem.

The initiative aims to build on the success of past public education programmes and introduce new elements to help raise awareness of the impact of littered gum and encourage proper gum disposal.

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Alan Kelly said:

“The agreement to renew this initiative represents a genuine commitment by industry to finding a solution to improper gum disposal.

“The programme will continue to focus on achieving a lasting change in gum disposal behaviour, by encouraging people to dispose of gum litter responsibly.

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Chairman of the GLT Paul Kelly said:

“We look forward to launching the new three-year programme and a number of new initiatives including

‘Bin It! Buddies and our new strapline

‘Bin your gum when you’re done’.

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This will be GLT’s third full campaign and aims to build on the success achieved to date.