Gum Buster joins Trim battle against street litter

Trim Tidy Towns' battle against chewing gum has received a huge boost with the arrival of a Nilfisk Gum Buster machine to the town. Trim hit the national headlines in January when Cllr Gerry Reilly suggested that chewing gum be banned from the town during a council discussion about the problem of gum on local streets and the expense involved in removing it. Trim had just been named as Ireland's Tidiest Town in Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) anti-litter league and Cllr Reilly suggested that Trim could become the first town in Ireland, or indeed Europe, to ban gum, which is the most expensive and time-consuming form of litter to remove. Cllr Reilly succeeded in raising awareness of the problem of littered chewing gum when the local media, and then the national media, picked up on his call for the council to look into banning the sale of chewing gum in the town. As a result of the media coverage David Jordan, Trim resident and senior executive with Nilfisk Ireland, donated the use of a Gum Buster machine to Trim Tidy Towns commitee. This machine helps remove gum litter from footpaths and will be used on the streets of Trim over the next number of weeks by the local TT group. Trim Tidy Towns is also aiming to reduce chewing gum litter on their streets by introducing the GumTarget Chewing Gum Initiative. The GumTarget Initiative reduces chewing gum litter by encouraging chewers to dispose of their gum responsibly. It is a specialist disposal device that fixes to posts, walls and railings. The front of the GumTarget is covered with a printed, removable GumSheet on which the chewer deposits used gum. These GumSheets carry a campaign of messages that change regularly to maintain interest and motivate the user to dispose responsibly. "Unlike a bin that offers no real incentive, the GumTarget provides topical, fun and involving ways to dispose of your used gum. Trim Tidy Towns erected the first of the GumTargets at Scoil Mhuire Secondary School last year," said Trim TT chairperson, Brian Heffernan. "We'd like to thank the school for allowing us do so and also Pascal McKenna, the school cartaker, for agreeing to maintain it. We intend to roll out more of these GumTargets throughout Trim during the summer." He explained that the GumTarget Initiative reduces chewing gum litter by appealing to chewers to dispose of their gum in the correct place and said that the key to its originality success is the ability to communicate a variety of messages which encourage a response from the chewer that is simple and effective. "The Scoil Mhuire GumTarget Initiative has enjoyed much success over the last year, and we are hoping for the same results in Trim town centre. Trim Tidy Towns endeavours to keep Trim a clean and pleasant place to live and work. We are continuing this ideal by introducing the GumTarget Initiative and cleaning the street of litter gum with the Nilfisk Gum Buster," he added. Mr Heffernan and the Tidy Towns committee are encouraging chewers to think about where and when they dispose of their used gum, pointing out that gum is litter and should, therefore, be disposed of appropriately. Anyone interested in joining Trim Tidy Towns committee should contact Brian Heffernan on (086) 820 7804.