Guildford Borough Council awarded funding to tackle the sticky issue of chewing gum on our streets
We're one of 52 councils across the country that have been successful in applying for funds from the Task Force, which is now in its fourth year.
We're putting plans in place to remove discarded gum that blights our streets. We also want to encourage people to put their gum in the bin when they're finished with it.
What is the Chewing Gum taskforce?
- It's a scheme open to councils across the UK, who want to clean up gum in their local areas and reduce gum littering
- It's established by Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs). It's run by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy.
- It's funded by major gum manufacturers, including Mars Wrigley and Perfetti Van Melle. The investment of up to £10 million is spread over five years.
Monitoring and evaluation carried out by Behaviour Change (a not-for-profit social enterprise) shows:
- Areas that benefitted from the first and second year of funding saw an 80% reduction in gum littering in the first two months
- Reductions continued six months after targeted street cleansing and the installation of signage encouraging people to bin their gum properly
What will this grant do?
- It will allow us to fund targeted street cleaning programmes
- We'll tackle gum-littered hotspots in the centre of Guildford
- There will be a focus on areas by North Street, the bus station and rotunda at the bottom of town
There'll also be eye-catching signage placed on bins and pavements throughout the town centre. They aim to:
- grab people's attention
- remind them of the impact gum litter has on our streets
- promote cleaner habits.
Lead Councillor for Environment and Recreation at Guildford Borough Council, Cllr Angela Goodwin, said:
"We're delighted to have secured this funding from the Chewing Gum Taskforce. It will significantly enhance our efforts to tackle gum litter across Guildford.
"Chewing gum litter is not only unsightly but costly to remove, and this support helps us address the issue, and encourage more responsible behaviour.
"Cleaner streets make a huge difference to how people experience and take pride in their local environment. We're proud to be part of this national movement that encourages all of us to look after our towns and keep them looking the best they can."
Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Keep Britain Tidy's chief executive, said:
"Chewing gum continues to be an unsightly form of litter in our public spaces - though thankfully the scheme is leading to significant reductions. People need to remember that disposing irresponsibly of their gum causes harm to our environment as it takes years to decompose naturally - and, ultimately, costs the public purse to clean it up."
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 77% of England's streets and 99% of retail sites are stained with gum.
In its third year, the Task Force awarded 54 councils grants worth a total of £1.585 million. This helped clean an estimated 500,000m2 of pavements.