Sticky streets no more: Newcastle cleans up with chewing gum grant
Newcastle has been awarded a £12,842 grant from the Chewing Gum Task Force to help clean up unsightly gum litter and prevent future mess on the city’s streets. The funding, administered by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, will support targeted street cleaning and public awareness campaigns aimed at changing behaviour around gum disposal.
Newcastle is one of 52 councils across the UK to receive funding in the latest round of the scheme, now in its fourth year. The initiative is part of a nationwide effort to tackle the persistent problem of chewing gum litter, which costs UK councils an estimated £7 million annually to remove.
The funding will allow Newcastle to introduce new automated barrows to its cleaning fleet of equipment which offer room for litter collection and a chewing gum removal wand.
This will support targeted cleaning in hot spot areas with plans for a wider roll out across the city.
Cllr Alex Hay, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services, Newcastle City Council said: “We’re delighted to receive this funding from the Chewing Gum Task Force. Chewing gum litter is a persistent and costly problem, and this grant will help us take a smarter, more targeted approach to tackling it. By investing in new cleaning technology and raising public awareness, we’re not only improving the look and feel of our streets but also encouraging everyone to take pride in our city and dispose of gum responsibly.
This is the 3rd time Newcastle has successfully bid for the grant from the Chewing Gum Task Force which has supported the cleaning of over 10,000m2 streets in the last year.
The Chewing Gum Task Force was established by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and is supported by major gum manufacturers including Mars Wrigley and Perfetti Van Melle. With up to £10 million committed over five years, the scheme helps councils not only clean up existing gum but also invest in long-term solutions to prevent it being dropped in the first place.
Evidence from previous years shows the scheme is working. Independent evaluation by social enterprise Behaviour Change found that areas receiving funding saw gum littering drop by up to 80% within the first two months thanks to deep cleaning and the installation of eye-catching signage encouraging responsible disposal. These improvements were still visible six months later.
According to Keep Britain Tidy, around 77% of England’s streets and 99% of retail areas are stained with gum. In its third year alone, the Task Force awarded £1.585 million to 54 councils, helping clean an estimated 500,000 square metres of pavement.
Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Chief Executive of Keep Britain Tidy, said: “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.”
Newcastle City Council will soon roll out its clean-up and awareness campaign in target areas, helping to restore pride in local streets and encourage residents and visitors alike to bin their gum responsibly