Council awarded funding to tackle the sticky issue of chewing gum on Runnymede streets

Runnymede is putting plans in place to remove the chewing gum that blights local streets after receiving a grant to tackle the issue.

The Task Force is funded by major gum manufacturers including Mars Wrigley and Perfetti Van Melle, with an investment of up to £10 million spread over five years.

Cllr Don Whyte, Chair of Environment and Sustainability Committee at Runnymede Borough Council, said: “We’re pleased to have received a grant from the Chewing Gum Task Force and to take visible action against a type of litter that blights our high streets and public spaces. This funding allows us to invest in deep cleaning and local campaigns that not only improve the look and feel of our town centres but also encourage responsible behaviour. It’s a small change with a big impact, helping to create cleaner, more welcoming spaces for everyone who lives, works, and visits Runnymede.”

Estimates suggest the annual clean-up cost of chewing gum for councils in the UK is around £7 million and, according to Keep Britain Tidy, around 77% of England’s streets and 99% of retail sites are stained with gum.

This work will see targeted cleaning in key areas such as Guildford Street in Chertsey, Station Road in Addlestone and Egham High Street - places where gum staining has long affected the look and feel of our town centres.

The Council is bringing in additional cleaning teams to boost capacity and accelerate the rollout across key public spaces. As part of the campaign, new gum removal equipment is being introduced, and grounds maintenance staff are receiving specialist training to ensure the work is carried out effectively and safely. A low-impact, eco-friendly steam method will be used to remove gum without damaging paving surfaces, including sensitive historic stonework.

Monitoring and evaluation carried out by Behaviour Change – a not-for-profit social enterprise - has shown that in areas that benefitted from the first and second year of funding, a reduced rate of gum littering of up to 80% was seen in the first two months - with reductions still being observed six months after targeted street cleansing and the installation of specially designed signage to encourage people to bin their gum.

In its third year the Task Force awarded 54 councils grants worth a total of £1.585 million, helping clean an estimated 500,000m2 of pavements.

Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Keep Britain Tidy’s chief executive, said: “Chewing gum continues to be an unsightly form of litter in our public spaces – though thankfully the scheme is leading to significant reductions. People need to remember that disposing irresponsibly of their gum causes harm to our environment as it takes years to decompose naturally – and, ultimately, costs the public purse to clean it up.”

The council is one of 52 across the country that have successfully applied to the Chewing Gum Task Force, now in its fourth year, for funds to clean gum off pavements and prevent it from being littered again.

Established by Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and run by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, 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.