Over £1.6m of funding is now available to help local authorities across the UK tackle chewing gum pollution.
Councils can now apply for funding of up to £25,000 from the Chewing Gum Task Force Grant Fund to pay for street cleansing and the purchase of specialist chewing gum cleaning equipment.
The grants are supplemented by fully-funded gum litter prevention packages for each council, including targeted behaviour change signage and advice.
Set up by Defra, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland, the Scottish government and the Welsh government, the Chewing Gum Task Force brings together major chewing gum producers, including Mars Wrigley and Perfetti Van Melle.
Administered by independent environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, the firms will invest up to £10m over five years to help reduce chewing gum pollution.
Environment minister Rebecca Pow said: ‘Chewing gum litter is a horrible stain on our streets, and the costs of cleaning up the mess is a huge waste of taxpayers’ money. This scheme gives councils right across the country a big helping hand to ensure less gum finds its way on to our pavements.’
