Desperate to find new ways of tackling the "scourge" of litter, the Department of the Environment has tapped into the creative resources of the image-making industry in an effort to change people's behaviour.
A national campaign running in cinemas shows a fashionable young woman dancing to music with her back to the audience and slowly dropping litter. Then, she turns around to reveal she has a pig's snout.
With its tag-line: "There's a side to people that littering brings out," the underlying message is that littering is "a disgusting habit and, regardless of who you are, you'll be viewed in a different light if you do it".
Backed up by posters in cinema foyers, the campaign was devised by Caboom Productions and Irish International, while the model's snout was designed by make-up artist Mike Meisaner, who created Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
"This is a well-targeted campaign that speaks to people in a compelling way by focusing on their self consciousness," said the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey.
"We need to drive home the message again and again - litter is a scourge."
