‘Bin your gum when you’re done’ – Gum Litter Taskforces takes to the Streets of Longford

The Gum Litter Taskforce (GLT) took to the streets of Longford last week, to encourage citizens to dispose of gum litter responsibly in a bin.

As part of its Summer Roadshow campaign, the GLT collaborated with Longford County Council to promote the importance of proper litter disposal through fun education and awareness initiatives that highlight the negative environmental impacts of gum litter and 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 launch of the campaign’s sixth cycle. Longford County Council officially launched its Gum Litter Taskforce campaign at the Market Square, Longford Town this week with vibrant support from St. Mel’s College pupils and Comhairle na nÓg members, whose enthusiastic presence brought great energy to the event.

GLT has seen gum litter reduce by almost 70% since 2007, via 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 cycle.

However, according to the latest research one in 12 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.

Launching its sixth cycle, the Gum Litter Taskforce reports that a significant 92% of people now report properly disposing of their chewing gum, a record high.

A large majority, 85% of 16–to-34-year-olds now view littering as socially unacceptable.

The report found that men remain more likely than women to improperly disposed of chewed gum.

Welcoming the campaign back to Longford, Longford County Council Cathaoirleach Cllr Garry Murtagh said: “We are delighted to welcome the Gum Litter Taskforce to Longford.

"It’s 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, and result in cleaner communities.

"The reduction of gum litter in recent years shows the success of this campaign and I look forward to seeing further positive changes into the future as more and more of us choose to put our gum litter into the bin.”

Longford County Council Chief Executive Paddy Mahon said, “Longford County Council remains committed to tackling all forms of litter through a mix of enforcement and public engagement. Initiatives like the Gum Litter Taskforce play a vital role in promoting responsible behaviour and we’re proud to continue our long-standing support for this important campaign.”

This year’s Summer Roadshow will make 20 stops across 17 counties this Summer.

The GLT campaign also includes a school roadshow (‘Bin It!’) which will travel to primary and secondary schools across the country from October. This is in addition to useful lesson plan material that is available to schools on www.gumlittertaskforce.ie

To further support the GLT campaign, a nationwide advertising campaign is also being activated across Irish television and radio channels, paid media poster sites and online digital advertising.

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