We've been awarded funding to tackle the sticky issue of chewing gum on Guildford streets

A grant from the Chewing Gum Task Force has helped us to clean up chewing gum and reduce gum littering.

We are one of 50 councils across the country that have successfully applied to the Chewing Gum Task Force, now in its fifth year, for funds to clean gum off pavements and prevent it from being littered again.

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 councils across the UK 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, with an investment of up to £10 million spread over five years.

In the past four years, the Task Force has awarded grants worth a total of £6.46 million, funded the cleaning of over 4.15 million square metres of pavements. 

Monitoring and evaluation carried out by Behaviour Change, a not-for-profit social enterprise, has shown that in areas that benefitted from funding, a reduced rate of gum littering of up to 86% was seen in the first two months.

Reductions were still being observed six months after targeted street cleansing and the installation of specially designed signage to encourage people to bin their gum.

Lead Councillor for Environment and Sustainability at Guildford Borough Council, Cllr Angela Goodwin, said:

"We're delighted to have secured funding for a second year in a row from the Chewing Gum Task Force, enabling us to continue tackling gum litter across Guildford and helping to keep our streets clean and welcoming.

"Discarded chewing gum remains one of the most common forms of litter. It is expensive to remove and can have a significant impact on the appearance of our public spaces. This funding will support targeted cleaning and help us encourage people to dispose of their gum responsibly.

"Clean, well-maintained streets help create places that residents, businesses and visitors can be proud of. By working alongside the national campaign, we're helping to improve our local environment and promote positive behaviours that make a lasting difference to our communities."

According to Keep Britain Tidy, around 77% of England's streets and 99% of retail sites are stained with gum. 

Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Keep Britain Tidy's chief executive, said: 

"While chewing gum litter remains a stubborn eyesore in our public spaces, the good news is that this scheme is already driving major improvements.  

"As an environmental charity, we know that every piece of gum dropped irresponsibly damages the environment, taking years to break down naturally, while also leaving taxpayers to foot the bill for costly clean-up operations.  

"Everyone in Guildford can play a part in creating cleaner, greener streets for all by binning their gum properly." 

Published on: 18 August 2026