IN OTHER NEWS
‘GUM WALL’ GETS LONG OVERDUE
STEAM CLEAN It may be an iconic landmark to Seattle residents, but the infamous Pike Place ‘Gum Wall’ has this month been steam cleaned for the first time in 20 years.
According to local officials, the wall was home to more than a million chewed up wads of gum that have accumulated over the past 20 years, and the move to clean this notorious landmark was done so ‘to protect the integrity of the bricks making up the historic walls of Post Alley’, where the wall stands.
The cleaning was carried out over the course of a week, and workers estimated that each brick on the wall was home to approximately 150 pieces of gum.
The ‘Gum Wall’ was started 20 years ago by audience members waiting in line for the nearby Market Theater, and
VOLUNTEERS TEAM UP TO TACKLE ‘TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE’
GRANTHAM GRAFFITI Community spirit has come out on top in Lincolnshire as members of Grantham Rivercare have teamed up to tackle the build-up of graffiti that has blighted the area over recent months.
One weekend at the end of November, a group of volunteers, armed with cleaning materials provided by South Kesteven District Council, set about cleaning up the graffiti and restoring the area to its formerly picturesque appearance.
Speaking of the graffiti that has tarnished the area, Grantham Rivercare leader John Knowles said:
over the years, it has spread across an area eight feet high and more than 54 feet wide, spreading onto pipes, other walls down the alley and even the theatre’s box office window.
But officials at Pike Place Market are concerned that it won’t be long before people start leaving gum on the space again.
“On closer inspection the problem proved to be far worse than we originally thought. We found that all the litter bins had been covered, together with many signs and fences.
“The working party spent all morning cleaning and painting, and in doing so brought about a dramatic improvement. A number of passers- by expressed their disgust with those responsible for the vandalisms and their appreciation of the work carried out by the Rivercare.
“The behaviour of those who cause such damage is totally unacceptable, and I am pleased to hear that South Kesteven District Council is looking at ways of catching offenders with appropriate severe punishment.”
The Grantham Rivercare team has been hard at work for the past 11 years to keep the river and its adjacent areas clean and attractive for visitors. The team of volunteers is administered
by Keep Britain Tidy and sponsored by Anglian Water, and more clean-up operations are in the pipeline in the coming months.
To hear the latest news from the industry, and some of the more interesting stories from around the world, check out the Tomorrow’s Cleaning Twitter page @TomoCleaning.
www.tomorrowscleaning.com Tomorrow’s Cleaning December 2015 | 21
During the clean, onlooker Zoe Freeman, who works near the ‘Gum Wall’, said: “It’s an icon, it’s history. The market is famous for the gum wall, but it also draws rats.
While Kelly Foster, General Manager for the firm hired to clean the wall, proclaimed: “I just hope that the citizens of Seattle don’t hate me for removing the gum wall!”
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