Oldham targets a sticky problem

OLDHAM is getting stuck in to a major campaign to tackle the blight of chewing gum on our streets.

The borough is one of 11 areas nationwide selected to take part in the latest annual campaign run by the Chewing Gum Action Group (CGAG).

The campaign includes posters to inform chewers to bin the gum or pay £80.

Gum will also be monitored in various hotspots around Oldham town centre before, during and after the campaign which runs this month and next.

Previous efforts from CGAG have shown a positive shift in chewers’ attitudes — and the campaign achieved an overall reduction in gum litter of 48 per cent in 2009.

A spokesman said: “This year we are hoping more people than ever will take the campaign message to heart and think more seriously about how they dispose of their chewing gum.”

Oldham’s campaign will engage with as many sectors of the local community as possible, such as local businesses, schools and shopping centres.

It will also include the display of a spectacular piece of chewing gum art by Ed Chapman, one of the UK’s leading mosaic artists, plus workshops, street theatre, fun competitions and enforcement activity.

Councillor Rod Blyth is Oldham Council’s Cabinet member for community safety and public protection. He claims cleaning gum off Oldham’s streets costs £28,000 a year.

He added: “A better local environment is something which everyone — residents and businesses alike — can all benefit from.