A grant from the Chewing Gum Task Force, administered by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, is helping Rushcliffe Borough Council (RBC) clean up gum and reduce gum littering across the Borough.
The Authority has removed hundreds of pieces of gum that blighted local streets after receiving a further £27,500 grant to tackle the issue.
The funding has enabled the Council’s Streetwise team to invest in three additional electric chewing gum removal machines, building on their environmentally friendly operation over the past two years.
This year’s clean-up focused on town centres in Bingham, Cotgrave, Radcliffe on Trent, Ruddington and West Bridgford. Recognising that Rushcliffe attracts large crowds of sports spectators being home to Nottingham Forest, Trent Bridge Cricket Club and Holme Pierrepont, the Council’s Streetwise team also targeted areas in and around Trent Bridge and Radcliffe Road in West Bridgford.
The Council is one of 54 across the country that have successfully applied to the Chewing Gum Task Force, now in its third year, for funds to clean gum off pavements and further prevent it from being littered again.
Established by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) 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 the investment spread over five years.
Monitoring and evaluation carried out by Behaviour Change, a not-for-profit social enterprise, has shown that in areas that benefitted from the first year of funding, a reduced rate of gum littering was still being observed six months after clean-up and the installation of prevention materials.
RBC’s Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Environment and Safety Cllr Rob Inglis said: “We’re delighted our application was successful for the third year, and we received £27,500 to help further clear areas spoilt by chewing gum.
“Gum waste creates an eyesore, and it can stick to footwear and clothing, and we want to encourage people to bin their gum – there are no excuses.
“Building on our funding from last year where purchased a specialist hot water pressure washer unit, we have now secured an additional three fully electric gum removal machines to add to our existing cleansing rounds to help tackle the issue.
“The equipment is a fantastic asset for our cleansing team and aligns with our Carbon Clever priorities to further protect the environment.
“We’ve also put up effective new signage in hot spots across the Borough to further encourage behaviour change.
“With Rushcliffe being the home of great sport, we’re pleased to see our Streetwise team focusing on areas in and around Trent Bridge and Radcliffe Road that attract large crowds of sports spectators.”
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.
Keep Britain Tidy’s Chief Executive Allison Ogden-Newton OBE added: “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.”
