High Cost of Cleaning Up Chewing Gum from Pavement Highlighted : Chewing Gum Recycling Bins on Sutton High Street as 600 Pieces Circled with Chalk

More than 600 pieces of trodden-in chewing gum in Sutton High Street were encircled by coloured chalk at the weekend to show people the scale of the problem facing Sutton.

In an effort to highlight the blight of chewing gum being spat onto the pavement, this weekend over 600 pieces of trodden in gum were circled with coloured chalk as part of Sutton Council’s Clean Streets Sutton campaign.

The council explained that its Clean Streets Sutton campaign is intended to encourage residents to change their behaviour and is being funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

According to the Local Government Association the average price of clearing up each piece of chewing gum from the pavement is £1.50 – 50 times as much as the gum costs to buy. Sutton Council said that this means that small changes in behaviour can make a big difference – and save taxpayers money.

The chalk marks were made by Sutton Council staff and volunteers on a segment of Sutton High Street on Saturday 9 April.

The Council said that its staff also gaveout 71 bright pink bubble-shaped gumdrop on-the-go bins to chewers on the High Street so that they can dispose their waste chewing gum when out and about instead of dropping it on the pavement.

The mini portable chewing gum bin not only collects waste gum but is also made from recycled chewing gum.

The council added that it is also placing large bright-pink gumdrop bins in prime sites on Sutton High Street for shoppers to dispose their used gum in. When full, it is recycled into new bins and other products, from Wellington boots to Frisbees and mobile phone covers.

Cllr Jill Whitehead, Chair of the Environment and Neighbourhoods Committee at Sutton Council, commented:

“Clean Streets Sutton is about using the latest thinking about behaviour change to try to alter the habits of people who litter, and help educate others as to the benefits of a cleaner, safer and more inviting environment.

“It will also help to save the taxpayer money as the everyday costs of cleaning up chewing gum quickly add up. At a time when our budgets are being severely cut, any savings can make a big difference.

“Passers-by were amazed to learn about the amount of chewing gum discarded on our streets and the cost of clearing it up. They were keen to chat about our Clean Streets Sutton campaign, which will help us to reduce waste and create a more sustainable borough.”

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