By North East Lincolnshire Council receives funding for the ‘Chewing Gum Task Force’
The latest Government initiative to crack down on litter on our high streets has been set out today (6 August), with more than 40 councils across the UK awarded grants of up to £70,000 to remove chewing gum stains.
North East Lincolnshire Council is among the first winners of funding as part of the Government’s new Chewing Gum Task Force, to clean up towns and cities via funding efforts.
The Task Force, established by Defra and run by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, aims to clean gum off pavements and put in measures to stop it.
Cllr Stewart Swinburn, the portfolio holder for Environment and Transport at North East Lincolnshire Council, said:
“It’s great news that our bid for this funding was successful. The £20,000 will be a big help for our street cleansing team and will improve the look of Grimsby town centre.
“Chewing gum stains are difficult and time-consuming to remove, often requiring specialist cleaning fluid and equipment.
“We submitted a bid to help clean up the paving in Grimsby town centre, similar to what we did in Cleethorpes last year. We’ll be cleaning the paving in the next couple of months.
“Of course, it would be much better if people put their gum in a bin rather than leaving it to litter the streets.”
Estimates suggest the annual clean-up cost of chewing gum for councils in the UK is around £7 million and according to Keep Britain Tidy, around 87% of England’s streets are stained with gum.
Environment Secretary George Eustice said:
“Littering blights our towns and costs taxpayers money. Working with responsible gum manufacturers, we are now giving councils extra help to clean up our cities and towns.
“This means we can double down on regenerating our high streets, boosting local economies, and levelling up communities across the country.”
The grants of up to £20,000 for councils including Leicester, Hull, Croydon, Southend, Lewisham, and Colchester is to purchase cleaning equipment as well as receiving signage to warn people not to litter gum.
Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Chief Executive of Keep Britain Tidy, said:
“This is an exciting new opportunity for councils to tackle the ongoing problem of gum pollution.
“The grants will allow councils to clean up historic gum litter staining in our towns and cities, as well as taking action to prevent people littering in the first place.”
Ana Baptista, Corporate Affairs Director, Mars Wrigley UK, said:
“Mars Wrigley has invested in campaigns to tackle litter across the UK for many years. Through our partnership with Behaviour Change, we have developed interventions proven to reduce gum littering which has already been used by over 100 councils.
“We are delighted to see these deployed as part of the Chewing Gum Task Force Grant Scheme and look forward to having many more councils on board.”
Hayley Osborne Communications and Sustainability Manager, Perfetti Van Melle, said:
“As a manufacturer of gum products we are aware of the unfortunate impact our products can cause to cities and towns. By working together with industry peers, councils, and customers, we can also help be part of the solution, helping to clean up our streets and educating consumers on the importance of safe gum disposal.
“In addition, we are also working on our own campaigns to support our customers, with on-package signage and labelling to help work towards a circular, long-term solution.”
