Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 16th April 2026 Issue no. 1206
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Haringey gets stuck in with chewing gum clean-up!
The London Borough of Haringey is tackling the sticky issue of chewing gum on local streets, backed by a £27,500 grant to support cleaner, fresher public spaces. Plans are now in place to remove gum and restore pride in Haringey’s pavements. The funding, provided through environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, will support efforts to clean up chewing gum and reduce littering.
As part of the borough’s recent engagement activities with local residents, feedback was gathered from the community about their priorities. The results highlighted that street cleansing is a major concern, with over two-thirds of respondents ranking it as one of their top priorities. This emphasises the importance of maintaining public spaces and addressing this issue.
The council is one of 52 across the country that have successfully applied to the Chewing Gum Task Force, which is now in its fourth year.
“Our residents have always led the way in shaping this campaign, and this year is no exception,” says Cllr Seema Chandwani, Cabinet Member for Tackling Inequality and Resident Services.
“They tell us what changes they want to see, and together we turn those ideas into action.
“The funding from the Chewing Gum Task Force will make a real difference-helping us improve street cleanliness and create a more welcoming environment for everyone in Haringey.
“Our borough is home to incredible landmarks and vibrant communities. It should be a place residents feel proud of, and visitors are drawn to. This investment isn't just about tackling litter - it's about making Haringey cleaner, safer, and more inviting for all. We're committed to building on this progress and supporting our community to thrive.”
Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Keep Britain Tidy's chief executive, says:
“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.”
Established by Defra (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) and run by Keep Britain Tidy, the Chewing Gum Task Force Grant Scheme is open to councils across the UK that 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 an investment of up to £10 million 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 and second year of funding, a reduced rate of gum littering of up to 80% was seen in the first two months - with reductions still being observed six months after targeted street cleansing and the installation of specially designed signage to encourage people to bin their gum.
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.
In its third year the Task Force awarded 54 councils grants worth a total of £1.585 million, helping clean an estimated 500,000sq.m of pavements.
7th August 2025