Cllr Declan Doocey launches Gum Litter Campaign 2017
Campaign is aimed at changing people’s behaviour towards gum disposal. The 2017 Gum Litter Taskforce (GLT) gum litter education campaign was launched in Dungarvan today by Cllr Declan Doocey and Ardscoil na nDeise
The campaign has had huge success to date in changing the public’s behaviour to gum disposal and in encouraging correct gum disposal through a targeted education awareness campaign. According to research carried out by Millward Brown on behalf of the Gum Litter Taskforce (GLT) during the 2016 campaign, the highest number of people to date (93%) agree that dropping gum is littering and almost six in seven people (84%) claiming that they always dispose of their gum correctly.
Speaking at the launch Cllr Declan Doocey, Deputy Cathaoirleach of the Dungarvan/Lismore District said: “This is a great campaign for communities up and down the country to get involved in. It unites communities in a common goal to responsibly dispose of chewing gum and continue to contribute to the positive results the campaign has seen to date. “
“Waterford City & County Council in conjunction with the national Gum Litter Taskforce will implement a public awareness campaign to reduce gum litter”, commented Ella Ryan, Environmental Awareness Officer with Waterford City & County Council. “This campaign is beneficial as it improves litter awareness and reduces cleaning costs. A media campaign is being rolled out to touch on all media points across the Waterford County Council area. You may already have seen advertising on local buses, billboards, etc. Educational workshops about litter awareness will also be run in a number of schools in the county.”
Speaking at the official launch of the 2017 campaign, Paul Kelly, Chairman of the GLT added: “Each year the campaign seeks to educate people on the correct disposal of gum and while we have seen very positive results to date, we want to continue encouraging a positive behaviour change amongst the small minority who are still disposing of gum incorrectly. The latest research results highlighted a significant increase in those who say they never drop gum which points towards the success of the campaign since its inception at targeting younger people who are taking the message home with them and into households across Ireland. The launch today is just one element of this nationwide campaign which also includes a national advertising campaign and a schools education programme, Bin It!”
