Mayor Lawlor leads fight on gum litter

By Dan Walsh

The Gum Litter Taskforce (GLT) Summer Roadshow took to the streets of Wexford today and leading by example was the Mayor of Wexford, Cllr George Lawlor, showing the way with fun and engaging education and awareness initiatives in the fight against gum litter.

Mayor Lawlor welcomed the Roadshow which he said; “is a fantastic initiative to raise awareness of the negative impacts of gum litter and encourages all to dispose of gum litter responsibly and to continue to protect our local environment.” He added; “The reduction of gum litter in recent years demonstrates the success of the campaign and I hope this year’s campaign will continue to further encourage positive changes in people’s behaviour towards gum litter.”

Now in its 17^th year, the GLT campaign travels across the country, working with local authorities to host its Summer Roadshow, which promotes responsible gum disposal by highlighting the environmental impacts of gum and general litter.

Gum Litter Campaign Manager, Avril Donlon of Food Drink Ireland said; “We are delighted to launch the 2024 Gum Litter Taskforce campaign with the support of the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications. The results of the campaign are evident, and we are thrilled that 1 in 4 people state the GLT campaign as the reason for deterring them from littering gum.”

In September, the Gum Litter Taskforce’s Bin It! education programme will travel across the country and deliver 60 performances a year to primary and secondary schools nationwide, with the ambition to visit 180 schools by 2025. This is in addition to useful lesson plan material that has been made available to almost 730 schools across Ireland.