Tackling an unpleasant problem on the streets of Gwynedd

Cyngor Gwynedd has bought a specialist machine to clean chewing gum off the streets of the county, thanks to a grant worth more than £20,000 through a national scheme to get rid of the waste blighting the streets of our communities and to prevent litter in the future.

The Chewing Gum Task Force brings together some of the UK's largest chewing gum manufacturers in partnership to remove gum litter from UK streets and prevent litter in the future. The scheme is administered by the independent charity Keep Britain Tidy.

An application from Cyngor Gwynedd for funding through the scheme has been successful and the Ardal Ni’ Tidy Team will use the equipment to bring a new look to the pavements and streets of Gwynedd.

Berwyn Parry Jones, Cabinet Member for

“Chewing gum thrown carelessly is a curse on our streets. It is very unpleasant and is something that is brought up by the county’s people.

Chewing gum can cause ugly stains on the street and pavement and is very hard to get rid of. I am grateful to the Chewing Gum Task Force for giving us the grant money enabling us to buy specialist cleaning tools that gets rid of the toughest stains easily. I am sure that the people of Gwynedd are looking forward to seeing the Ardal Ni Tidy Team doing this important work around the county.

“A lot of us, unfortunately, hash as the experience of chewing gum sticking to our shoes or clothes, and carrying it into our homes, school, or workplace

“Therefore, stopping people from throwing the gum recklessly in the first place is key to tackling the problem. That is why as part of this project, the Council has been placing awareness raising signs, that encourages users to put their used gum in the bin and help keep the streets of Gwynedd clean and tidy.”

Ardal Ni Tidy Teams work across the Gwynedd Communities tackling the small but important tasks to improve the local environment. If you would like one of the Teams to visit your community, speak to your local councillor.

Notes

For further information about the national Chewing Gum Task Force go to the website: www.keepbritaintidy.org

Monitoring and evaluation work by Behaviour Change has shown that a lower rate of gum litter is still being seen in areas that received the grant last year, six months after cleaning and installation of restraining materials.