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10 March 2010 | |
Biodegradable Chewing Gum Launched | |
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Chicza chewing gums, who claim to be the first ones to manufacture biodegradable chewing gum ever sold, went on sale in Waitrose stores in Britain. It is organic and biodegradable chewing gum pitted against highly-adhesive chewing gums which get stuck on roads and streets making life tougher for the cleansing staffs and authorities.
Chicza Rainforest Gum is manufactured in Mexico by Consorcio Chiclero. The raw material of the biodegradable gum is extracted from the sap of the chicozapote tree found in Mexican rain forest.
A chewing gum is made up of gum base of chicle, a natural latex product, or synthetic rubber. Most of the commercial gums constitute of rubber instead of chicle due to their taste and cost effectiveness. The other ingredients in a chewing gum include added flavors and sugar content. These added contents gets absorbed in our body on constant chewing of the gum.
The launch of biodegradable chewing gum is being keenly watched by environmentalists abroad especially in Britain where 93% of the paving stones are spattered by adhesive chewing gum. Not to mention the waste of hundreds of million dollars of money that go into eradication procedures involved in removing these sticky non-biodegradable mess.
The chicle has more recently been replaced by non-biodegradable petrochemical polymers which are more effective for commercial use and its sustenance viability. The stickiness of conventional chewing gums is due to use of elastomer solvents and other wax-like ingredients in the manufacturing processes.
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10 March 2010 | |
Does Chewing Gum Cause Wrinkles | |
It freshens our breath and helps us quit smoking, but some cosmetic surgeons believe chewing gum does one more thing: It gives us wrinkles.
“Many of my patients who are gum chewers have a certain pattern of wrinkles around their mouth,” says Dr. Joel Schlessinger, a board certified dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon from Omaha, Neb. “And I think the gum is responsible to some degree for it.”
While no studies have been done showing a link between chewing gum and wrinkles, the topic does come up with some regularity on beauty blogs.
Experts attribute the gum-wrinkle connection to two things. First, there’s the repetitive motion of chewing, which causes lines and folds around the mouth due to muscle overuse, says Dr. Hema Sundaram, a Washington, D.C.-area cosmetic surgeon and laser expert.
“I believe chewing gum promotes muscle over-activity and potentially breaks down support tissue within the skin, contributing to volume loss and perhaps loss of skin elasticity,” she says.
What's more, chewing gum can dislodge dermal fillers that people have injected into their faces to plump up their wrinkles.
“It makes your Restylane and other fillers last less long,” says Sundaram.
Schlessinger says he’s observed this with his patients, as well.
“The act of chewing gum can dislodge the fillers earlier,” he says. “It actually pushes them out of the area. They dissipate a lot quicker in gum chewers in my opinion.”
But before you spit out that gum, consider this. An October 2009 study in Germany discovered that “chewing gum had a significant and positive effect on concentration performance.” (The test was performed on two classes of relatively wrinkle-free third graders.) Additional research shows chewing gum decreases stress (in a study sponsored by Wrigley), increases alertness, and helps less the severity of nicotine withdrawal symptoms.
Dr. Jane Soxman, a board certified pediatric dentist from Allison Park, Pa., says there are many dental benefits to chewing gum, as well (she recommends gum with the sugar substitute xylitol).
“It stimulates salivary flow, assisting with the removal of food residues from the teeth,” she says. “It neutralizes the acid in your mouth. And if you have an early, early cavity, it helps to remineralize the area and reduce the advancement of tooth decay.”
The gum-wrinkle connection is a new one on her, though.
“I know cigarette smoking creates wrinkles above the upper lip with the pursing of the lips, but I’ve never heard of gum causing wrinkles,” she says.
Repetition is the culprit, says Schlessinger.
“We’re not talking about the occasional gum chewer,” he says. “We’re talking about the person who has a habit of chewing gum and is rarely if ever seen without a piece of gum in their mouth.”
Anna Viele, a 36-year-old blogger (and former smoker) from Los Angeles, says that’s her.
“I’ve chewed gum my whole life,” she says. “I don’t blow bubbles and I’m not necessarily smacking it all the time, but I always have some in there. I like it because it makes my mouth feel cleaner and I obviously have some kind of oral fixation and the gum helps with that.”
This latest wrinke isn't enough to make her quit, she says
“I guess it makes sense but it’s kind of like saying eating or smiling is going to give you wrinkles,” she says. “It’s not going to keep me from chewing gum. Unless they say you’re going to get wrinkles and cancer from chewing gum. Then I’d be like ‘OK, maybe I should quit.’” | |
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09 March 2010 | |
Singapore Retains Gum Ban | |
March 4 (Bloomberg) -- Singapore plans to keep its general ban on chewing gum after revising the law in 2004 to allow those with medicinal or dental benefits to be sold.
Littering is still a problem in Singapore and the government is standing by its decision amid international criticism of its chewing gum policy, Maliki Osman, parliamentary secretary for the Ministry of National Development, said in Parliament today.
“We remain concerned that lifting the ban on the sale of chewing gum could result in chewing gum litter resurfacing as a problem and undermine our ongoing efforts to curb littering,” Maliki said. “The government’s position is the ban should remain.”
Singapore banned chewing gum in 1992 to prevent discarded wads from sticking to buildings and pavement or interfering with transport after those stuck on subway train doors disrupted rail services. The government partially lifted the ban in 2004 as a condition of a U.S.-Singapore free trade agreement, allowing Pfizer Inc. and Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. to sell nicotine and tooth- whitening gum with a doctor’s prescription.
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25 February 2010 | |
New Peppersmith Gum Launches. | |
Perhaps it's because of its association with movies about rebellious teenagers and ditzy blondes that we're not normally fans of chewing gum. We're willing to make an exception, however, for the newly launched Peppersmith.
Sweetened with wood sugar from beech trees and peppermint grown in Hampshire (there are also no artificial flavours, colours, preservatives or aspartame), it's touted as the first British all-natural chewing gum that's also approved by the British Dental Health Foundation.
But what seals the deal for us is Peppersmith's clever packaging. Each box slides out of its case to reveal a moustachioed icon like Salvador Dali and Charlie Chaplin – the moustache being a sly riff on the company's stylised mint leaf logo.
And lest it be accused to contributing to unsightly gum street litter, Peppersmith has equipped each case with small slips of Post-It-like paper to wrap up used gum.
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18 February 2010 | |
Oh Lordy - Gum Litter Problem at Church | |
Discarded chewing gum seems to have left a Peterborough priest with a sour taste in his mouth.
All Souls Church is hoping visitors will start to wrap it and bin it rather than stick it to a pew when it comes to leftover gum.
Father David Jennings told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire: "Nothing surprises us anymore.
"Visitors to weddings or funerals are chewing away before they come in and the bench becomes the obvious target."
Is there anything more frustrating than finding some chewing gum on your shoe or discovering you've sat right on top of a blob of the sticky stuff?
In order to cut out these messy situations the church has put a gum-spotting squad into action.
Father Jennings said: "We have a little team each week that checks the benches to see where the chewing gum is.
"It's a real problem, I think there's a problem in Peterborough generally.
"We've taken to politely saying something in our newsletter and even before a wedding or funeral we say 'if you have chewing gum would you like to put it outside'."
All Souls, on Geneva Street, established itself as a Catholic church in 1896 and Father Jennings is keen to preserve its integrity.
He said: "All we want is care for the building. All Souls is a much loved building, it's open every day.
"People come in, say a prayer or light a candle and we want to keep it a nice welcoming building.
"You imagine sitting down and the first thing you see is chewing gum."
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10 February 2010 | |
San Fran to pass on gum clean up costs? | |
SAN FRANCISCO — Just four months after imposing a fee on cigarettes to offset cleanup costs, The City is considering adding a fee to the purchase price of chewing gum and other items that end up on streets and sidewalks.
As The City faced a massive deficit last year, Mayor Gavin Newsom proposed the first of these fee types, which was approved by the Board of Supervisors. The 20-cent charge on every pack of cigarettes purchased went into effect this fiscal year to offset the Department of Public Works’ cost of picking up those butts cluttering public spaces. The fee generates about $3 million annually for the agency.
As The City once again has to close a deficit in excess of $500 million, Newsom has ordered departments to come up with 30 percent in cuts.
“We’re going to contemplate an expansion of litter fees,” Department of Public Works director Ed Reiskin told the Board of Supervisors on Wednesday. “There are other pieces of litter that the Department of Environment in its audits has identified as contributing to our litter problem in the streets, so there is a nexus there that we may be able to establish.”
This year’s Department of Public Works budget is $172 million, of which $17 million is from The City’s general fund. DPW is responsible for the upkeep of San Francisco’s streets and infrastructure. The department also cleans city streets, plants and maintains trees, and removes graffiti from public property.
Supervisor John Avalos, who chairs the board’s Budget and Finance Committee, said, “I have to see the details.” Avalos said that small businesses are concerned about the cigarette fee. “I supported it. It was part of the balance of the budget,” Avalos said.
Currently, the DPW is proposing a study to determine if a connection exists between certain types of litter and cleanup costs. “To the extent possible, we want to make sure that the burden of the cost of litter on our streets rests with the people generating it,” DPW spokeswoman Christine Falvey said.
Chewing gum is the worst culprit of litter when it comes to so-called “small litter,” at about 40 percent of the litter counted, according to The City’s recent litter audit. That is followed by small glass, small paper and cigarette butts.
Adding fees at the consumer’s expense is a worry for business advocates.
“Small business in San Francisco is hurting and in danger of becoming a species that will disappear,” said Jimmy Shamieh, vice president of the Arab American Grocers Association. He said the tobacco fee and other similar fees would prompt customers to purchase the items outside of The City, where they are less expensive.
“It’s scaring the customers away from San Francisco,” Shamieh said.
Dawn Trennert, of the Middle Polk Neighborhood Association, a group partnering with The City on a campaign to stop cigarette littering, said that additional fees are worth exploring. She said during the lean budget years adequate street cleaning is a “concern.” | |
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03 February 2010 | |
Peterborough Blighted By Gum Litter | |
HUNDREDS of sticky pieces of discarded chewing gum are blighting multi-million pound works to transform the heart of Peterborough city centre into a vibrant piazza.
A snap count by Evening Telegraph reporters found more than 400 pieces of chewed gum trodden into the newly laid clean and bright pavements around Cathedral Square, just months after they were laid.
And that figure included 186 spotted while skimming the pavements in a short walk from Barclays to HMV, 167 white and black blobs along the new paving blocks from Donald and Aitchison to McDonald's and at least 50 on the square in front of the Guild Hall.
Now a city councillor is calling on residents to take a pride in their city and do all they can to keep it clean and tidy.
The new paving blocks recently laid across Cathedral Square are part of a £6 million makeover.
Since April last year, the city centre has been crowded with hoardings with shoppers and traders finding it hard to navigate fencing and dodge the flow of construction vehicles.
What do you think about the gum menace? How can it be stopped?
Comment below, email us: news@ peterboroughtoday.co.uk or write us a letter now.
But now with the end of the work to create a modern city with sparkling fountains, new street furniture, colourful lighting and bright open spaces in sight, city centre councillor Nazim Khan is calling on the people of Peterborough to take pride in their city.
He said: "We have spent millions of pounds on upgrading the centre of Peterborough, but what is the point if we are just going to leave it to deteriorate?
"The people of Peterborough should be looking after the city for themselves. After all it is their home and they should take pride in it.
"We have to ask ourselves what sort of impression our dirty pavements are giving visitors to the city.
"How are we going to attract new people and businesses to Peterborough when we don't even look after it ourselves.
"The council should also be cracking down on those who throw their chewing gum on the floor.
"A campaign needs to be drawn up to raise awareness of the issue and street wardens need to be tougher and start fining those flouting the littering laws.
"Once finished, the Cathedral Square will provide a much-needed tranquil open space for people to escape the hustle and bustle and relax. People should act now and keep our city clean."
The council's head of strategic property, Andrew Edwards, who is overseeing the regeneration works, said the stone on the square is coated with a special sealant which makes the removal of gum easier.
He said: "We are aware of the chewing gum deposits on Cathedral Square, and it seems particularly bad around the entrance to Queensgate."Chewing gum is the curse of modern cities and it is a shame that people have to drop it.
"We intend to give the site a full and thorough clean once work has finished on the square, however our City Services staff regularly clean through the pedestrian area of the city." | |
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19 January 2010 | |
MPs call for 'clean up tax' on chewing gum | |
MPs call for 'clean up tax' on chewing gum
People who buy chewing gum, cigarettes or fast food should be made to pay a "clean up tax" to tackle Britain's growing litter problem, according to an influential committee of MPs.
Sweet wrappers, hamburger boxes and chewing gum are the most common items dropped on the streets, at a huge cost to local councils.
The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee want a new charge to be levied on products that produce the most litter.
The new levy is part of a long-awaited report on how Britain can turn around its "throwaway culture".
The committee recommend every council should be made to collect food waste separately, meaning a slop bucket in most homes, to reduce the amount of biodegradable waste going to landfill.
It also suggests that the "Primark effect" that is causing tonnes of cheap clothes to be dumped in landfill could be tackled by forcing manufacturers to meet a certain standard so that clothes can be recycled easily.
The MPs said the UK should boost its domestic recycling rate from 37 per cent to 50 per cent by 2015.
But "bin taxes", where people are fined for putting out more non-recycling waste, are only acceptable if the council provides a full run down of waste disposal costs and explains to householders why they are being charged extra.
The report comes as Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, published plans to divert all of London's waste away from landfill by 2025 by producing more energy from waste and improving recycling facilities.
Michael Jack, the Chairman of the EFRA Committee, said people must become more responsible for what they throw away.
For example those who spit out chewing gum on the street should be made to pay extra for the cost of scraping it up.
He said the new "clean up levy" would be included in the cost of items paid by consumers at the point of purchase, like the current tax added to electrical items or cars to pay for environmental impact, and would only come to a fraction of the total cost.
"What we are advising is that if you are going to make a mess then you should make a contribution to clearing it up afterwards," he said.
The EFRA report also called on councils to start issuing more on-the-spot fines of £80 for people caught dropping litter and to help private landowners cope with fly-tipping.
Dickie Felton from Keep Britain Tidy welcomed the crackdown on litter but said the streets should be kept clean through a voluntary approach.
“Fast food and confectionery litter not only looks appalling it costs the taxpayer millions of pounds each year to clean-up," he said.
“We believe that companies should be taking more responsibility over what happens to that burger box or pasty wrapper once it leaves their premises.
“But we are not convinced that a “clean-up” levy is the right way to achieve cleaner streets.
“We very much believe in prevention rather than cure. We want all companies involved in the selling of cigarettes, drinks and confectionery to be doing more to encourage their customers to do the right thing and use a bin.”
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19 January 2010 | |
Waveney District Council Launch GumTarget | |
Waveney Norse, the joint venture operation partners of Waveney District Council has introduced GumTargets to pedestrian areas across the district to counter the issue of chewing gum litter. The sites for the new GumTargets were selected following a survey of the issue.
Mike Daniels, Waveney Norse’s Cleansing Service Manager added: “We have worked with Meteora Ltd to understand the reasons why people drop used chewing gum and to identify the worst affected areas. We are confident that the GumTarget Initiative will make a significant reduction to our littered chewing gum.”
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12 January 2010 | |
Initial Cleaning Services Install GumTarget | |
From September 2009 Initial Cleaning Services will launch the GumTarget Initiative at the Aviva Building, Norwich to combat littered chewing gum. Chewing gum is a difficult and expensive form of litter to remove. It adheres firmly to any surface and does not biodegrade. Once an area has been cleared of chewing gum it is not long before the problem returns. Many people do not recognise chewing gum as litter, and the GumTarget Initiative aims to raise awareness of this problem.
The GumTarget Initiative reduces chewing gum litter by encouraging chewers to dispose of their gum responsibly. The GumTarget is a specialist disposal device that fixes to posts, walls and railings. The front of the GumTarget is covered with a printed, removable GumSheet on which the chewer deposits used gum. These GumSheets carry a campaign of messages that change regularly to maintain interest and motivate the user to dispose responsibly. Unlike a bin that offers no real incentive, the GumTarget provides topical, fun and involving ways to dispose of your used gum.
Ian Kenyon, Meteora Limited the company behind the GumTargets, commented; "we are extremely pleased to be working with Initial and Aviva, as we are all committed to providing a cleaner environment to live and work in. The key to preventing chewing gum litter is raising awareness of the problem."
Mike Davis, Aviva's Waste & Environmental Manager said; "Initial Cleaning Services in partnership with Aviva's Waste policies have recently launched GumTargets as a way of combating littered chewing gum in their Call Centre Environments. The trial is progressing well, and we would be happy to roll this out to other locations in due course"
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12 January 2010 | |
Government chews over Wiltshire suggestion | |
The Government will consider a proposal put forward by a Wiltshire Council employee to increase the tax on chewing gum to help cover the cost of clearing it up.
Bruce Purvis who works as a local studies librarian in Salisbury made the suggestion in response to Wiltshire Council publicity promoting the Sustainable Communities Act. This is a new law, introduced in 2007, which provides a way for local people to ask central government to take action on things they believe will improve their area.
The proposal was one of 20 ideas submitted from Wiltshire into a national selection process. The chewing gum proposal has been shortlisted by the Local Government Association and will now be put forward to the Government for consideration, and possible implementation.
Chewing gum litter is a widespread problem which is expensive and difficult to clear up. This proposal would see a 15p levy put on each pack of chewing gum to help councils cover the estimated £150 million national cost of clearing it up. The extra income could help to pay for additional street cleaners and jet washers to hose chewing gum off the pavement.
The proposal also encouraged Government to insist that manufacturers used biodegradable ingredients.
Bruce Purvis, who came up with the idea, said: "When I saw the publicity asking for suggestions for new ideas to improve the environment it seemed obvious to me that targeting chewing gum would be a perfect project.
"I felt sure that by putting the cost up on chewing gum and using the extra income to help councils clear it up could potentially save millions of pounds every year as well as get rid of an awful problem on our streets. I think it makes perfect sense."
Councillor Christopher Williams, portfolio holder for communities at Wiltshire Council, said: "Tackling the curse of chewing gum on our pavements would improve the look of streets across Wiltshire and across the country. It's time to take on the people who persist in littering our streets with disgusting blobs of sticky gum."
"Councils find it extremely difficult to catch the people who spit out their gum onto the street. Placing a levy on chewing gum would help pay for the expensive process of cleaning it up when it is dropped on the pavement."
"This idea has the potential to save councils millions of pounds every year." | |
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12 January 2010 | |
Churchill Services Launch GumTarget | |
Churchill Contract Services, the facilities management company responsible for Willow Brook Shopping Centre, Bristol has joined the GumTarget Initiative.
Shopping centres, with their high pedestrian traffic, often suffer from ‘gum-drop hot-spots’ - places where large amounts of discarded gum adhere to flooring. Churchill Contract Services wants to do more than simply removing the littered chewing gum and has chosen GumTargets as an effective way to reduce the amount of gum littered by encouraging responsible disposal.
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12 January 2010 | |
Initial Expands GumTarget Trial at Aviva | |
Following trial launches at York and Norwich, Initial has further expanded the GumTarget Initiative into the Aviva site at Glasgow. The hygiene, cleaning and facilities management company has recently begun using the GumTarget Initiative as an effective means to combat littered chewing gum at their client's sites; the first GumTarget site was launched in September 09 at the Aviva building in Norwich. Early results have been encouraging, and following this early success the scheme is now being expanded to include the Aviva Building, Glasgow. | |
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11 January 2010 | |
Chewing gum campaign's message sticks | |
THE AMOUNT of chewing gum dropped in ten city centre grotspots has fallen thanks to a campaign.
Peterborough City Council was involved in the Keep Britain Tidy's Save Yourself A Packet campaign in October which involved targeting ten gum "hotspots" with regular cleaning and monitoring as well as promoting awareness in schools.
Return visits by officers to those areas including parts of Bridge Street and Bourges Boulevard in December has found a 16 per cent decrease in the amount of chewing gum dropped there compared to before the campaign's start.
Council deputy leader councillor Matthew Lee said: "It is important to maintain the momentum and rid our streets of gum forever."
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08 January 2010 | |
East Dunbartonshire Gum Removal Spotlighted | |
SPECIAL machines to tear up chewing gum from pavements have not been used in Kirkintilloch town centre, it has been claimed. The council splashed out almost £5,000 for two machines in a bid to tackle the sticky problem in towns and communities throughout East Dunbartonshire. But questions have been asked as to why the machines have never been used in Kirkintilloch town centre, since being bought in February.
Lex Gaston, who heads up the Business for Kirkintilloch initiative, said: "The machines have been sitting there doing nothing for months.
"The council said people were being trained to use them, but that was ages ago. I've been on to them about it a number of times.
"The machines are very easy to use. Removing the chewing gum from the pavements would give the town such a lift before Christmas.
"I really don't see how it has taken eight months. They say they are organising teams to do the job, but there was a photocall with the new teams earlier this year and still nothing's been done.
"Kirkintilloch was supposed to pioneer this scheme."
Kirkintilloch East and Twechar Independent Councillor Jack Young is also concerned at not seeing the machines in action.
A spokesperson for East Dunbartonshire Council said: "The council purchased two chewing gum removal machines at a cost of £2,250 per unit.
"The machines are fully operational and our street cleansing teams have been trained in their usage."
"The chewing gum machines are mobile units powered by a generator allowing them to be used at any location in East Dunbartonshire where chewing gum is a problem.
"The machines are a great resource for the council and we hope to make a positive impact on the town centres."
When the Herald checked out Kirkintilloch's Townhead and Cowgate areas on Saturday, the pavements were still littered with gum. | |
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05 January 2010 | |
Rochdale Launches New Gum Machine | |
If gum stuck on pavements is a real sticking point, worry no more.
As part Rochdale Council's war on chewing gum litter, residents and businesses can now request the council's chewing gum removal machine free of charge.
The machine allows the council's street cleaning teams to remove gum from pavements much more efficiently by using environmentally friendly chemicals. Previously, power hoses were used to eradicate gum from footpaths, which often meant having to close public rights of way due to spray.
Last month the council launched a campaign, funded by the Keep Britain Tidy Group's Chewing Gum Action Group, to remind chewers that dropping gum is littering, and to put it in the bin after chewing.
Councillor Irene Davidson, cabinet member for Environment and Sustainability on Rochdale Council, said: "We introduced the chewing gum machine a couple of years ago following consultation with the public to help stay on top of chewing gum on the borough's highest footfall areas. We've introduced these machines following consultation with the public to ensure our street operatives can stay on top of cigarette ends and chewing gum on the borough's busiest footpaths.
"We're determined to make the borough a cleaner and more attractive place for everyone, and that goes for busy urban areas too". | |
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05 January 2010 | |
Chewing Gum Litter Down 87% | |
A campaign warning chewers of gum they risk a litter fine if they don't put their used gum in the bin has seen a huge drop in gum litter in the Rochdale borough. Since the campaign's launch at the start of this October, a Keep Britain Tidy survey has revealed gum litter in the borough has gone down by 87% overall.
As part of a national study being carried out by Keep Britain Tidy's Chewing Gum Action Group, Rochdale Borough Council selected 10 high-footfall areas across the borough to carry out a survey to measure reductions in gum litter at the end of the campaign at the beginning of November.
Councillor Greg Couzens, cabinet member for finance, enthused: “What a brilliant result! It’s great timing in the run up to Christmas as we welcome people into our town centres to do their Christmas shopping. Cleanliness of shopping centres is such an important factor as people judge an area based on its appearance and cleanliness. Seeing lots of chewing gum on the floor runs places down, so I’m encouraged by these fantastic results.”
Throughout the campaign, council street cleaning teams wore high visibility jackets with the message ‘don’t drop gum, it’s litter’, whilst high profile gum litter adverting across the borough’s town centres, buses and telephone boxes told chewers that irresponsibly disposed of gum is litter and they could be landed with a litter fine if caught dropping it. This follows an earlier Chewing Gum Action Group study which showed many gum chewers simply don’t associate dropping gum as litter.
Rebecca Joinson, spokesperson for the Chewing Gum Action Group, explained: “Incorrect disposal of chewing gum is a major concern for many councils. It’s an important and emotive issue for residents and costly to remove.
“The results in the Rochdale borough are outstanding and demonstrate that people who chew gum are thinking twice before dropping their gum on the floor. The message that incorrectly disposed of gum is in fact litter and that you can receive a fine for dropping gum has been clearly heard.”
A piece of gum costs about 3p to make – but costs around 10p to clean up each blob off the floor. The problem is so great that councils spend around £150 million a year on cleaning up the UK’s streets.
Councillor Irene Davidson, cabinet member for environment and sustainability at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have achieved such an overwhelming reduction in gum litter.
“Our mission is to make the borough a cleaner and more attractive place to live, work and visit, but we need everyone to support us. By the end of the year we expect to have spent over £40,000 clearing up gum off pavements, but people can help reduce this bill by putting gum in the bin and allow us to plough money into other council services.”
Rochdale Borough Council was one of fifteen local authorities across the UK taking part in the chewing gum campaign - designed to change the behaviours and attitudes towards chewing gum disposal. | |
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23 December 2009 | |
Council set to address a sticky problem | |
Council leaders say a change of culture is needed to solve a sticky problem that costs taxpayers thousands of pounds.
Officials at East Hampshire District Council say they will have to keep clearing up chewing gum from the streets until people change their attitude.
It is an offence to drop chewing gum on the street and carries an £80 on-the-spot fine. But every year people are flouting the law.
Mark Bailey, Streetcare manager, said: 'Cleaning gum district-wide is a slow and costly process so if we can stop people dropping gum in the first place that would be the ideal solution.
"We were out on Friday trying to raise the issue of litter generally but also to emphasise that litter also means gum, which is something people don't always realise."
"We have to get the message across to people that it is not acceptable to throw your chewing gum on the street" | |
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