Cleaner, more welcoming streets are on the way for residents in the Cotswold district thanks to a programme to remove chewing gum staining and reduce future littering.
Cotswold District Council has secured a £25,848 grant from the Chewing Gum Task Force, administered by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, to clean gum from pavements and invest in measures to encourage people to bin their gum responsibly.
The council is one of 50 across the country to 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 in the first place.
Evidence gathered by Behaviour Change, a not-for-profit social enterprise, shows that in areas where funded gum removal projects took place, chewing gum littering fell by up to 86% within just 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.
Cllr Andrea Pellegram, cabinet member for environment and regulatory services, said: “I’m delighted that the council has secured this funding from the Chewing Gum Task Force. Keeping our streets, town centres and public spaces clean is an important part of delivering good services for residents, businesses and visitors, and gum litter can have a significant impact on the appearance of our communities.
“This funding will allow us to remove unsightly gum staining from our streets while also encouraging people to dispose of their chewing gum responsibly. By investing in both cleaning and prevention, we can create cleaner, more welcoming places for people to live, work and visit, support our local economy and help foster pride in our communities. We all have a role to play in keeping the Cotswold district looking its best.”
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 the Cotswold district can play a part in creating cleaner, greener streets for all by binning their gum properly.”
The Chewing Gum Task Force grant scheme – established by Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and run by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy – 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 it 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.