iStuckn a rut?


Keep Britain Tidy and the Chewing Gum Action Group work to solve the sticky issue of chewing gum litter.


Chewing gum stuck to your shoe, grimy and dirty pavements as a result of gum staining, costly gum removal – these are all too familiar problems caused by chewing gum litter on our streets.


There are more than 28 million gum chewers in the UK, and the market, currently valued at £329million, is constantly growing. With an ever increasing market it is essential that people who chew gum take responsibility for their gum litter and dispose of it correctly if we are to rid our streets of the sticky issue of chewing gum litter.


According to the latest Local Environmental Quality Survey of England (2009/10), two thirds of our streets are blighted by chewing gum and with a recent survey by Keep Britain Tidy showing chewing gum litter to be one of the biggest litter problems in respondents’ local areas, the problem of irresponsibly dropped gum on our streets is a significant issue for many local authorities.


Chewing gum is the most difficult form of litter to deal with. Once trodden in, it can cause staining and can be extremely difficult and


52 | TOMORROW’S CLEANING | The future of our cleaning industry GRAFFITI & GUM REMOVAL


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costly to remove. Normal cleaning methods like street sweeping and litter picking do not work, and more extreme and costly methods like jet washing, steam cleaning and cryogenics have to be used to remove it.


Irresponsibly dropped chewing gum on our streets looks grimy and dirty, and generally degrades an area. Once an area looks unsightly and rundown, the knock on effects can be detrimental, leading to other types of littering and anti-social behaviour.


To tackle the issue we need to increase awareness of the problems and long-term effects of chewing gum litter to our streets and communities, and encourage a responsible attitude amongst those gum users who discard their gum on the floor.


Keep Britain Tidy sits on the Chewing Gum Action Group, which was set up in 2003 with a view to changing the attitudes of people who drop gum and to promote positive behaviour and correct disposal.


The group, chaired by Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs),


“THERE ARE M 28 MILLION GU IN THE UK, AND MARKET, CURR VALUED AT £32 IS CONSTANTLY


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