‘Bin your gum when you’re done!’ – Gum Litter Taskforces takes to the Streets of Clare for its Summer Roadshow
As part of its Summer Roadshow campaign, Clare County Council collaborated with Gum Litter Taskforce to promote the importance of proper litter disposal and to draw awareness to the €150 gum litter fine.
A collaboration between industry, government and local authorities, and funded by Mars Wrigley, this year marks the sixth cycle of the campaign.
GLT has seen gum litter reduce by almost 70% since 2007, through a sustained public engagement and education campaign. According to the latest National Litter Pollution Monitoring System data, gum now accounts for just 8.6% of all litter, continuing a downward trend in gum as a component of litter from 26.4% in 2006, and 9.1% in 2021, the end of the previous three-year cycles.
However, according to the latest research one in 12 people surveyed admit that they still drop their gum on the ground, with men more than twice as likely to do so than women. This highlights the continued importance of the campaign.
Welcoming the campaign back to Clare, Councillor Gabriel Keating, said, “This is a great initiative that generates awareness of the negative impacts of gum litter in a fun and engaging way. As a Council, we are committed to working with campaigns such as GLT, that promote responsible litter disposal behaviours, which results in cleaner local communities, towns and villages in Clare.”
Supporting the campaign, John Williams Chairperson of Kilkee Tidy Towns, added, “The roadshow encourages everyone to play their part and keep our county clean, including our town and its Blue Flag beach, for all to enjoy.”
Minister of State with responsibility for Circular Economy, Alan Dillon, praised the continued success of the initiative, “The consistent fall in gum litter shows that education and collaboration are driving real results. This is exactly the kind of behavioural change we need to build a cleaner, greener Ireland.”
This year’s Summer Roadshow will make 20 stops across 17 counties. The GLT campaign also includes a school roadshow (‘Bin It!’) which will travel to primary and secondary schools across the country from October.
Page last reviewed: 02/07/25
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