Getting stuck in on gum

CLEANING up chewing gum costs Oldham Council around £25,000 a year

THE streets of Oldham are about to become a lot less sticky as the Chewing Gum Action Group launches its 2010 campaign.

The group (CGAG) has selected 12 councils throughout England, Scotland and Wales to take part in a campaign to dispose of gum responsibly.

The clean-up of gum from an average town centre costs around £60,000 a year.

In August, prominent adverts will be displayed in the town centre complete with bold messages highlighting the impact of dropping chewing gum on the streets and the fines associated with littering.

In exchange, the council has pledged to work with local businesses, schools, colleges and health centres to rally support for the fight against chewing gum litter.

A CGAG spokesman said: “Chewing gum litter is extremely difficult to deal with and could cost local authorities millions of pounds each year to remove. Once trodden in, gum causes staining to paved areas, making many towns and cities look dirty and uncared for.

“By working in partnership with councils across Great Britain, CGAG hopes to change behaviour and encourage chewing gum users to bin their used gum responsibly and help keep their local environment clean and tidy.”

As well as Oldham, local authorities in Bristol, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Coventry, Crawley, Croydon, Gloucester, Gosport, Herefordshire, Nottingham and Wolverhampton will take part in the campaign.

Councillor Rod Blyth, Cabinet member for community safety and public protection, said: “Chewing gum is a persistent problem — especially in our town centre and other district centres — and we welcome being selected to take part in this campaign.

“Oldham Council is supported in our work to remove chewing gum in the town centre by our partners in the Business Improvement District.

“The work is very intensive — we have to use high pressure steam and wire brushes to scrape the gum residue off before it can be cleaned away — and it costs us all around £25,000 a year.

“Any scheme that challenges behaviour and encourages people to bin their used gum has to be a good thing.”