Gumbusters will hit the streets of Huddersfield blasting away the mess on pavements caused by discarded chewing gum.

Kirklees Council, working with Huddersfield BID, has been awarded £25,500 from the Chewing Gum Task Force to tackle gum grotspots in Huddersfield and Dewsbury town centres.

The project will focus on John William Street and surrounding streets in Huddersfield and the South Street area in Dewsbury.

The council is working with Huddersfield BID, who will be completing the clean over the coming weeks.

Following the gum removal, signs will be put up to encourage people to dispose of their gum properly. When this has happened elsewhere, there has been a noticeable change in behaviour with gum littering still reduced six months later.

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.

 

 

Clr Munir Ahmed, Cabinet member for environment and highways, said: “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: “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.”

 

Textile recycling banks installed at 10 locations across Kirklees as part of UK trial