This is the third year the Action Group, made up of Government and industry, has provided support for gum litter campaigns. Last year's campaigns resulted in local authorities recording an average reduction in chewing gum litter of nearly 60 per cent. In Blackpool and Oxford the reductions were 85 per cent and 86 per cent.
Minister for Local Environment Quality, Jonathan Shaw said that while chewing gum was an easy issue to make light of, it was an eyesore and difficult to remove.
"This is a great opportunity for local authorities to make head-way on what can be a costly and time-consuming problem. Local authorities will be measuring the effectiveness of their campaigns this year and working to build on last year's successes, and I look forward to hearing about their achievements," he said.
A total of 29 local authorities applied for the public information campaigns from the Chewing Gum Action Group in 2008, and the following 15 were successful:
Barking & Dagenham, Blackpool, Croydon (Business Improvement District), Cambridge, Doncaster, Enfield, Middlesbrough, Mole Valley, Nottingham, Borough of Poole, Rushmoor, Test Valley, Wigan, Wolverhampton, Worcester.
Notes for Editors:
1. The chewing gum industry is working closely with Government and other partners to tackle the problem of chewing gum litter through the Chewing Gum Action Group. The Action Group is chaired by Defra and brings together representatives from local government, the chewing gum industry, ENCAMS (Keep Britain Tidy), the Local Government Association, the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, the Welsh Assembly Government, and the Food and Drink Federation.
2. The industry has committed an annual sum of £700,000 to the Action Group. As a key member of the Action Group, the industry provides additional support on a rolling basis which is not calculated as part of this figure.
3. In 2007, 16 local authorities ran campaigns funded by the Action Group. More information on the Action Group, past campaigns and research can be found at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/localenv/litter/gum/
4. Local authorities that have not been selected for paid-for campaigns can still use campaign materials.
5. Chewing gum is defined as litter under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005.
6. The Local Environmental Quality Survey of England found chewing gum staining in 96 per cent of primary retail and commercial sites.
7. It can be expensive to remove engrained chewing gum from surfaces. It is possible that local authorities that carry out regular cleansing can spend up to £200,000 a year. (This should not be extrapolated to a national figure because cleansing practices and frequencies, as well as the scale of the problem, can vary significantly).
