Tackling the sticky issue of chewing gum on our streets
The Royal Borough of Greenwich is working to clean up and reduce gum littering, with the help of a Chewing Gum Task Force grant.
The Council is removing chewing gum from streets in five locations across Abbey Wood, Eltham, New Eltham, Plumstead and Woolwich after receiving the grant.
A Council spokesperson said: “Research shows us that 77 per cent of England’s streets and 99 per cent of retail sites are stained with gum, which is both expensive and difficult to remove.
“To tackle this problem, we’re removing gum at five locations across Abbey Wood, Eltham, New Eltham, Plumstead and Woolwich, with the help of a grant from the Chewing Gum Task Force. We’ll then be installing tried and tested signage, proven to help prevent further gum littering.
“We want our neighbourhoods, town centres and high streets to well-maintained, places that allow our communities to prosper. Help keep your local area looking great - please bin your gum!”
Established by Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and run by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, the Chewing Gum Task Force Grant Scheme is open to UK councils who wish to clean up gum in their local areas and invest in long-term behaviour change to prevent gum from being dropped in the first place. The Task Force is funded by major gum manufacturers including Mars, Wrigley and Perfetti Van Melle. In the scheme’s first two years, participating councils achieved reductions in gum littering of up to 60 per cent in the first two months.
Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Keep Britain Tidy’s chief executive, said: “Chewing gum litter is highly visible on our high streets and is both difficult and expensive to clean up, so the support for councils provided by the Chewing Gum Task Force and the gum manufacturers is very welcome.
“However, once the gum has been cleaned up, it is vital to remind the public that when it comes to litter, whether it’s gum or anything else, there is only one place it should be – in the bin – and that is why the behaviour change element of the task force’s work is so important.”