Mayo County Council has signed up for the National Gum Litter Taskforce Campaign for the first time and launched the campaign in partnership with Castlebar Town Council in Castlebar last Friday. Mayo County Council now joins 29 other councils in the joint initiative between the Department of the Environment Heritage and Local Government and the chewing gum industry.
The Mayor of Castlebar, Councillor Michael Kilcoyne, who launched the county town’s gum litter awareness campaign, said: “This campaign is aimed at achieving a long-term sustainable change in the behaviour and attitudes of people responsible for gum littering thereby helping to create a cleaner and more attractive town that the residents, visitors and businesses can enjoy.” Cllr Kilcoyne also said that following a demonstration of a gum buster in operation (which use environmentally friendly products which heat up the gum and break it up leaving no trace and restoring the surface back to its original state ), he would speak to town manager Seamus Granahan. “I think the purchase of the machine we see working here today should be seriously considered,” he said.
“Bin your Gum not €150 is a simple message with a simple request and I would ask the public to take it on board,” the mayor added. The campaign will run from June 2009 until the beginning of October.
