News / Bristol Waste
City Council granted further funding to tackle ‘sticky issue’
For the second year running, Bristol City Council will receive a funding boost to tackle a ‘sticky issue’ that continues to blight the city’s streets.
Following a success trial in 2024, the ‘Gumbusters’ will return to the streets to remove discarded chewing gum from the pavements.
The campaign hopes to go beyond just cleaning the pavements, but to engage with the public to encourage behavioural change around gum disposal, an effort expected to save thousands of pounds in the long run.
A grant from the Chewing Gum Task Force, administered by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, will enable Bristol City Council and Bristol Waste to work together on the operation.
Before and after ‘gumbusting’ using specialised backpacks
A funding package worth £27,500 will be put to use to remove gum from city centre and Park Street areas.
Bristol City Council is one of 52 local authorities across the country that have successfully applied to the Chewing Gum Task Force. Now in its fourth year, the funding is earmarked to clean gum off pavements and prevent future littering.
A first for the city, Behaviour Change – a not-for-profit social enterprise – will run a pilot project focused on tackling gum littering specifically within the night-time economy.
“Last year, Bristol Waste Company’s street cleansing team put in an incredible amount of hard work by removing a phenomenal number of gum stains from the city centre,” said Martin Fodor (fifth from the left), chair of the environment and sustainability policy committee
Martin Fodor, chair of the environment and sustainability policy committee, said: “I’m so pleased that we have been awarded funding once again by the Chewing Gum Task Force.
“Last year, Bristol Waste Company’s street cleansing team put in an incredible amount of hard work by removing a phenomenal number of gum stains from the city centre.
“This year’s continued focus on more of the city centre and Park Street will bring clean pavements to another popular part of Bristol, and with the help of the public, we can keep the streets looking pristine for everyone to enjoy.”
Allison Ogden-Newton, 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.”
It has been reported that during last year’s operation some 280,000 gum pieces were removed from the streets.
As in last year, Bristol Waste staff will use specialised backpacks with eco-friendly, sugar-based cleaning fluid to lift the gum from pavements.
Bristol Waste staff will use specialised backpacks with eco-friendly, sugar-based cleaning fluid to lift gum from pavements
Chewing gum clean-up costs UK councils an estimated £7m annually, with gum staining 77 per cent of streets and 99 per cent of retail sites in England, according to Keep Britain Tidy.
Chewing Gum Task Force Grant Scheme is set up by Defra ((Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and run by Keep Britain Tidy.
All photos: Bristol Waste
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