Cardiff Council has been awarded a £27,500 grant from the 'chewing gum task force', administered by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, to tackle chewing gum litter on the city's pavements. The funding will support a programme of work to make gum removal more effective and prevent gum from becoming embedded in the pavement surface.
Grant Details and Planned Work
The grant will be used to purchase specialist pavement sealant, spraying equipment, and protective clothing for staff applying the treatment, as well as contributing to staffing costs. According to a statement from Cardiff Council, '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.'
Cardiff Council is one of 50 local authorities across the UK to successfully secure funding from the chewing gum task force, now in its fifth year. The scheme helps councils clean gum from pavements while investing in long-term behaviour change initiatives that encourage responsible disposal.
Local Official Comments
Cabinet member for frontline services at Cardiff Council, councillor Ed Stubbs, 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.' He added, '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.'
Keep Britain Tidy Response
Chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, stated: '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.'
