Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown tackles gum litter

Dún Laoghaire Tidy Towns are a vibrant and dedicated community group committed to environmental improvement with Dún Laoghaire. Dún Laoghaire Tidy Towns with the help of their volunteers work hard to ensure that Dún Laoghaire remains litter free and an area that everyone enjoys. Speaking at the launch, Brian Flynn, Chairperson of Dún Laoghaire Tidy Towns said

Dún Laoghaire Tidy Towns group is delighted to participate in this Gum Litter Taskforce Roadshow event and welcomes the active support of our new Cathaoirleach and all dlr councillors in any activities that promote the values and work of Tidy Towns. Our Tidy Towns group reformed in early 2020 and we believe we have achieved great progress in two and a half years. We carry out cleaning and weeding around the town centre and seafront with our small army of orange vested volunteers. Chewing gum is a particularly difficult kind of litter. It is impossible to remove it without special equipment such as power washing and it disfigures many of our pavements. Adequate bins have been provided around the town and they are emptied twice daily by the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council cleansing department who also litter pick our streets twice daily. Yet we often witness significant amounts of litter strewn around our town.We need a change of attitude in Ireland to litter particularly in our large towns and cities. We call this “pride in our place”. We have a wonderful town and seascape, the jewel of the East coast. Let us all make our contribution by using the bins provided.

Gum Litter Taskforce Project Manager, Avril Donlon of Food Drink Ireland, welcomed the return of the campaign, and praised the success of the campaign to date:

We are delighted to continue the great work of the Gum Litter Taskforce alongside the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications. Through continuing to engage with people and educate them on the harms of gum litter, we can work to make gum litter on the streets of Ireland a problem of the past.The focus for the next three-year cycle of the Gum Litter Taskforce campaign is to increase its reach among target audiences and influence future generations through proven successful education campaigns in schools and digital activations.

Corporate Affairs Manager at Mars and Mars Wrigley Ireland, Nicola Forde, also welcomed the announcement:

“The success of the campaign to date is a testament to what can be achieved when Government, local communities and industry work together, and I’m very excited that the GLT will continue its great work for another cycle. I’m particularly pleased to see the ‘Bin It’ campaign will reach a higher number of schools than ever this cycle, allowing us to engage with more students across the country. Educational engagement and encouraging positive behaviours from a young age will have long-term positive effects on Ireland’s attitudes towards litter. It’s also great to see continued engagement from local authorities throughout each cycle of the campaign, as it demonstrates the tangible results they’re seeing in the reduction of gum litter in their communities.”

The National Gum Litter Awareness Campaign campaign will see representatives from the Gum Litter Taskforce working with local authorities and communities to carry out education and awareness initiatives that demonstrate the proper means of gum disposal and raise awareness of the environmental and fiscal impacts of improper disposal.