CHEWING GUM FIRMS AGREE TO FUND £10M CLEAN-UP OF BRITAIN’S STREETS

Mon 30 August 2021:

A multimillion-dollar task force, funded by major chewing gum manufacturers, will conduct a big clean-up operation to remove chewing gum from 87 percent of England’s pavements, according to a British government agency.

The scheme, including Mars Wrigley, GlaxoSmithKline and Perfetti Van Melle and managed by independent charity Keep Britain Tidy, will see gum firms invest up to £10 million over the next five years to help reduce gum litter.

With campaigners suggesting nearly nine in 10 of the UK’s streets are pocked with undigested gum, the cost of cleaning it off is estimated to reach at least £7m every year.

Around 87 percent of England’s streets are stained with gum, Defra said, noting that the annual clean-up cost is estimated at 7 million pounds (about 9.66 million dollars).

The investment, starting later this year, will be used to clean up historic gum litter staining and use behavioral interventions to encourage people to bin their gum, it said.

Littering is a criminal offence and the Government has already empowered local authorities by increasing on-the-spot penalties for offenders to £150, rising to up to £2,500 if convicted in court.

The Government is seeking powers in the Environment Bill to ensure that enforcement powers are used with a high degree of professionalism, whether by council staff or private contractors, and to place our improved enforcement guidance on a firm statutory footing.

Previous pilots have reduced gum littering by up to 64 percent, according to Defra.

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