Does seeing chewing gum stuck to Granite Mile’s pavements infuriate you? Well, that is about to change.
A clean up of gum and an initiative to reduce gum dropping on Union Street is to be helped by a grant from the UK-wide Chewing Gum Task Force, which is funded by manufacturers including Mars Wrigley.
Aberdeen City Council is putting plans in place to remove chewing gum on the famous city street after receiving £27,500 of funding to tackle the issue.
Across the UK, estimates suggest the annual clean-up cost of gum for councils is about £7 million.
The local authority is one of 54 UK-wide to successfully apply for the funding from the Chewing Gum Task Force, which is now in its third year and run by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy.
Union Street, which is currently undergoing the ‘biggest redevelopment in Aberdeen city centre for 200 years’, will hope the initiative cleans up the street.
A study looking at places that benefitted from the first year of funding showed that it does, with a reduced rate of gum littering being observed six months after the clean-up, as well as the installation of prevention materials.
Due to the works going on to the Union Street Central area from Market Street to Bridge Street, which includes new pavements, the council confirmed that funding will not be used in this area.
By combining targeted street cleaning with specially designed signage to encourage people to bin their gum, participating councils achieved reductions in gum littering of up to 60% in the first two months.
Co-leader of Aberdeen City Council, Councillor Ian Yuill said: “The removal of chewing gum from Union Street – made possible by this very welcome grant from the Chewing Gum Task Force – will make a real difference.
“I would though urge people to keep Union Street tidy and not litter it with chewing gum in the first place.”
‘Chewing gum litter is highly visible on our high streets’
Keep Britain Tidy chief executive Allison Ogden-Newton added: “Chewing gum litter is highly visible on our high streets and is both difficult and expensive to clean up, so the support for councils provided by the Chewing Gum Task Force and the gum manufacturers is very welcome.
“However, once the gum has been cleaned up, it is vital to remind the public that when it comes to litter, whether it’s gum or anything else, there is only one place it should be – in the bin – and that is why the behaviour change element of the task force’s work is so important.”
In 2019, Aberdeen Central MSP Kevin Stewart urged the UK Government to introduce a chewing gum tax, with the money raised going to councils to deal with this issue of it being discarded on streets.
However, despite the government acknowledging that chewing gum is a “very real problem”, they blocked Mr Stewart’s attempts.
Conversation