The Cathaoirleach of Louth County Council, Councillor Pio Smith, has officially re-launched the Gum Litter Taskforce’s (GLT) after a break last year because of Covid.
The GLT is an environmental initiative that was established in 2007 to create awareness among people about the need to reduce the litter from chewing gum and to dispose of it in the most sustainable way.
Supported and funded by the chewing gum industry, the GLT initiative has made significant improvements in relation to gum litter awareness and disposal behaviour over the last 14 years.
The 2019 campaign recorded an all-time high of 93% of people stating that they regard chewing gum as litter, up from 74% when the campaign first began.
Encouraged by the positive momentum of previous campaigns, the campaign is looking to making a strong return for 2021 after being postponed last year due to COVID-19, this year’s campaign will have a stronger social media presence in order to reach a wider and younger audience.
Research commissioned by the GLT 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%.
“We can never underestimate the pride that people have in their local towns and villages” Councillor Smith said at the launch.
“As ever, I am confident that the people throughout Louth 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… 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” he added.
Nicola Forde, Corporate Affairs Manager, Mars Wrigley Ireland said; “… It is important that we maintain momentum on our journey to achieving a cleaner, greener Ireland through initiatives like the GLT and build on the success that the campaign has achieved since it commenced in 2007.
Through the GLT campaign, Mars Wrigley is proud to support the hard work of local authorities, community groups and schools in spreading awareness of the importance of correct litter disposal. It is through education that we can drive change and every little positive effort adds up to make a big long-term difference to the environs of our local towns and communities.”
