Cardiff Council has successfully secured a £27,500 grant from the Chewing Gum Task Force, administered by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, to help clean up chewing gum from the city's streets and reduce the problem in the future.
Grant Funding Details
The funding will support a programme of work designed to make gum removal more effective and prevent gum from becoming embedded in the city's pavements. This will include the purchase of specialist pavement sealant, spraying equipment and protective clothing for staff applying the treatment, as well as contributing to the costs of staffing the work. The sealant creates a protective layer on pavements, making it harder for chewing gum to stick to the surface while making it easier for street cleansing teams and road sweepers to remove.
National Context
Cardiff Council is one of 50 local authorities across the UK to successfully secure funding from the Chewing Gum Task Force, which is now in its fifth year. The scheme helps councils clean gum from pavements while investing in long-term behaviour change initiatives that encourage people to dispose of their gum responsibly.
Official Statements
Cllr Ed Stubbs, cabinet member for frontline services at Cardiff Council, said: "Chewing gum litter is a persistent issue that affects the appearance of our streets and can be costly and very difficult to remove. This funding will allow us to take practical action to tackle the problem while making it easier for our street cleansing crews to keep our pavements clean and tidy. While we are grateful to the Chewing Gum Task Force and Keep Britain Tidy for the grant funding, we would like to remind the public that we wouldn't have an issue with chewing gum on our streets if people disposed of their gum responsibly using the litter bins provided."
Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy, said: "While chewing gum litter remains a stubborn eyesore in our public spaces, the good news is that this scheme is already driving major improvements. As an environmental charity, we know that every piece of gum dropped irresponsibly damages the environment, taking years to break down naturally, while also leaving taxpayers to foot the bill for costly clean-up operations. Everyone in Cardiff can play a part in creating cleaner, greener streets for all by binning their gum properly."
Impact and Next Steps
The grant will enable Cardiff Council to implement targeted cleaning and prevention measures, reducing the long-term costs associated with gum removal and improving the appearance of public spaces. The behaviour change initiatives aim to encourage responsible disposal, complementing the physical clean-up efforts.
