Bin your Gum Summer Roadshow!

The Gum Litter Taskforce rolled into People’s Park over the weekend as part of their summer roadshow, teaming up with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and the Ukulele Hooley festival to spotlight the sticky issue of gum litter. Through a series of fun, interactive games and educational activities, the initiative aimed to raise awareness about the environmental impact of gum litter and the fines associated with improper disposal. Over 150 enthusiastic participants joined in, learning how small actions—like properly binning chewing gum—can make a big difference.

Welcoming the Roadshow to People’s Park, Cllr. Jim Gildea, Cathaoirleach, Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, said:

“We are delighted to welcome the Gum Litter Taskforce back to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown. In addition to the environmental impacts, Incorrect gum disposal adds to the work and the cost of keeping the County’s public spaces clean. We look forward to seeing the continued reduction in gum litter the Gum Litter Roadshow brings to our county in the future.”

The Gum Litter Taskforce have contributed to a gum litter reduction of 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 1 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.

Frank Curran, Chief Executive, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, added:

"Congratulations to the Gum Litter Taskforce for drawing attention to the issue of Gum Litter in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown and reducing litter rates over the years. We are delighted to support their work and in turn, deliver on our Climate Action Plan 2024-2029 commitment to run anti-litter campaigns annually. We hope through the ongoing promotion of responsible waste disposal we can reduce the rates of gum litter even further."

Collaboration with the Gum Litter Taskforce on this event contributes to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council’s commitments under the Climate Action Plan 2024-2029 including action R17: to run anti-litter campaigns annually.