Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 13th March 2025 Issue no. 1153

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Significant funding available to local authorities to reduce blight of gum litter

This week, the Chewing Gum Task Force has announced the start of its fourth year of grants of up to £27,500 to allow councils to purchase specialist chewing gum cleaning equipment and/or increase street cleansing.

These grants are supplemented by fully-funded gum litter prevention packages for each council, including targeted behaviour change signage and advice, designed and produced by social enterprise Behaviour Change.

The scheme's third annual report, released this week, shows that 54 councils benefitted from £1.585m funding in 2024, which helped to clean an estimated 500,000sq.m of pavements - an area equivalent to the size of 400 Olympic sized swimming pools.

Of those, 23 councils had previously benefitted from funding.

More than 65% of councils used their grant to purchase new equipment, ensuring that they will continue to benefit after the project ends. In addition to the grants for cleansing, 25% of the fund was used to supply gum litter prevention packages to councils.

By combining targeted street cleansing with specially designed signage to encourage people to bin their gum, participating councils have seen reductions in gum littering of up to 80% in the first two months during the time the scheme has operated, with a reduced rate of gum littering still being observed after six months.

"Over the first three years, the Chewing Gum Task Force has awarded grants worth a total of £4.88m to 122 councils," says Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy.

"As the Chewing Gum Task Force enters its fourth year, we are delighted to see the difference it is making across the country. With every council who has been part of the scheme reporting an improvement in gum littering, the Task Force shows that working together to tackle litter and change behaviour can make a difference.

"Chewing gum continues to be an unsightly form of litter in our public spaces - though thankfully the scheme is leading to significant reductions. People need to remember that disposing irresponsibly of their gum causes harm to our environment as it takes years to decompose naturally - and, ultimately, costs the public purse to clean it up."

Set up by Defra - in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland, Scottish Government and Welsh Government - the Chewing Gum Task Force brings together major chewing gum producers, including Mars Wrigley and Perfetti Van Melle. Under the scheme, administered by independent environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, the firms are investing up to £10m over five years to help reduce chewing gum litter.

Naomi Jones, corporate affairs director at Mars Wrigley UK, says: "Mars Wrigley is delighted to continue supporting the work of the Chewing Gum Task Force. Together, we have shown that it is possible to change behaviour and to achieve sustained reductions in gum litter. Millions of people around the UK enjoy chewing gum products every year, and we want to keep encouraging responsible gum disposal."

Hayley Osborne, communications & sustainability manager at Perfetti Van Melle, adds: "As we begin our fourth year as part of the Chewing Gum Task Force, it is encouraging to see that targeted messaging, the provision of appropriate disposal solutions, and the dedication and commitment of local councils are delivering measurable, sustainable progress in the removal of chewing gum from UK streets."

From today the fund is open to councils in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales who wish to clean the gum off their pavements and invest in long-term behaviour change to stop it being dropped.

Applications for funding close on March 28, 2025, at noon and decisions will be announced by the end of May 2025.

Images courtesy of www.behaviourchange.org.uk

Learn more, download annual reports or apply for funding via: www.keepbritaintidy.org

For more information on tackling chewing gum litter, visit:

www.behaviourchange.org.uk | www.tacklegumlittering.co.uk

6th February 2025