Banbridge urged to bin the gum

People in Banbridge have been urged to bin their chewing gum as Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council rerun a high profile campaign in an effort to reduce gum litter across the Borough.

In 2014 the Craigavon area saw a 56% gum reduction in hotspot areas monitored during the campaign and it is expected a similar reduction will be observed this year.

The highly visible promotional campaign which includes lamppost banners, ATM’s and sides of buses has been funded by the Chewing Gum Action Group, an organisation chaired by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and by the chewing gum industry to tackle gum litter in the UK.

Supporting the campaign this year, Cllr Darryn Causby, Lord Mayor of Armagh, Banbridge & Craigavon, said: “We want the people of the Borough to feel immensely proud of where they live which is why we have partnered with the Chewing Gum Action Group to raise awareness and proactively tackle the issue of gum litter.

“Chewing gum litter is costly and difficult to remove, therefore we hope that this campaign will encourage gum chewers to bin their gum the right way and understand that they can play a part in making our area a more attractive place to live.”

The annual campaign sees representatives from the chewing gum industry, local government and voluntary sectors working with councils and Business Improvement Districts to develop local initiatives to reduce chewing gum litter.

Ian Humphreys, Chief Executive from Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful added: “Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful is delighted to show its support to the Chewing Gum Action Group, a campaign which has delivered some positive results in Northern Ireland.

“Chewing gum litter is a major issue and one that blights many of our streets therefore we are delighted that ABC Council is taking part in the creative campaign.”