Kirklees Council Has Been Awarded Funding to Tackle the Issue of Chewing Gum on Town Centre Streets

Posted By: Christopher Morganon: September 22, 2024In: Current Affairs, News, Regional News

Reading Time: 2 minutes

By Joshua Robinson –

Kirklees Council has been awarded £25,500, to help clean up gum and dirty stains, as well as reduce future gum littering in Huddersfield and Dewsbury town centres.

Kirklees Council is working together with Huddersfield BID, who will be completing the cleaning over the coming weeks.

Following the gum removal, signage will be installed to encourage passers-by to do the right thing and keep the areas looking tidy by using the bin to dispose of gum waste.

Councillor Munir Ahmed, Cabinet Member for Environment and Highways, said to Kirklees Together: “We are delighted to have been awarded this grant, funded by the chewing gum industry, to help us tackle the problem of gum litter across our borough.”

“The removal work at chewing gum hotspots will get these areas looking their best and complement our ongoing programme of regeneration work within our town centres. Combining the clean with innovative behaviour-changing signage will help to prevent future gum littering and help the areas stay clean.”

Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Keep Britain Tidy’s Chief Executive, said to Kirklees Together: “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.”

The Chewing Gum Task Force Grant Scheme is open to councils across the UK who wish to clean up gum in their local areas and invest in long-term behaviour change to prevent gum from being dropped in the first place. Established by Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and run by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, the grants are funded by major gum manufacturers including Mars Wrigley and Perfetti Van Melle. Kirklees is one of 54 local authorities that have successfully applied for a grant this round.

In addition to the street cleaning and signage, Huddersfield BID has recently installed Gumdrop bins throughout Huddersfield town centre. These bright pink bins are attached to lampposts to encourage responsible disposal of chewing gum which will be recycled into various products including notepads and mugs.