City targets sticky gum problem

The Council has been awarded a share of £1.25million being offered to cities and towns throughout the UK so they can tackle chewing gum litter and the affects it has on the environment.

The scheme is part of the latest government initiative to deal with the problem and is being coordinated by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy. Estimates suggest the annual clean-up cost of chewing gum for councils in the UK is around £7 million.

Other cities included in the scheme Exeter, Birmingham and Glasgow.

In Swansea, the funding will be used to purchase industrial gum removal equipment which can be deployed to busy community shopping areas including Morriston and Sketty.

Gum removal services have been underway in the city centre for a number of years through a partnership agreement with Swansea BID.

The funding provided to the Council will also be used to install signage encouraging the public to bin their gum and not throw it on the floor.

Cyril Anderson, Cabinet Member for Community Services, said: "One of our key commitments to the people of Swansea is to clean up communities and tackle litter problems wherever they exist and this new initiative will help us do that.

"Chewing gum litter has long been a problem for towns and cities around the country, leaving footways covered in gum that is extremely difficult to remove.

"For a number of years we have worked with Swansea BID to tackle chewing gum problems in the city centre and this has led to an improvement in the look of our public areas.

"We want to be able to extend this service to other parts of the city. The funding we have been successful in obtaining will enable us to by specialist equipment that can remove gum and can be used throughout Swansea."

Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Chief Executive of Keep Britain Tidy, said: "This is an exciting new opportunity for councils to tackle the ongoing problem of gum pollution.

"The grants will allow councils to clean up historic gum litter staining in our towns and cities, as well as taking action to prevent people littering in the first place."