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Beware – chewing gum!

Towns and cities across the UK are sticking together to try get more done to clean chewing gum off the streets. Councils in 20 places want companies that make chewing gum to contribute towards cleaning up the mess that it leaves on the streets. It costs local councils around £150 million every year to scrape gum off the streets.

The group says that every single piece of gum costs 10p to clean up, but only costs 3p to make. They add that if gum companies handed over 1p from every pack sold it would add £9 million to the clean – up fund.

A spokesman for Westminster Council in London said they spend £100,000 every year on cleaning up discarded chewing gum. Alan Bradley added ”It is time the manufacturer and the people who throw this mess on to the ground take responsibility for their actions – it is time to make the polluters pay”. On Monday the Government – backed Chewing gum Action Group is holding a conference on the issue too.

People who drop gum in the street could face fines of up to £75 from Monday. The aim of scheme, being tried out in Preston, is to get gum chewers to throw their gum in the bin when they’ve finished with it, not on the floor. Specially trained wardens will issue law breakers who refuse to bin their chewing gum with fine starting at £50.

The government – backed campaign will also run adverts to convince people that getting the sticky stuff off the street is a real problem. Anti – gum dropping adverts will appear on posters in shopping areas and in telephone kiosks. Disposal pouches for people to use to get rid of their gum will also be handed out in pedestrian areas.