Adrian Sanders MP has been highlighting with local and central Government the growing problem of chewing gum litter. A co-ordinated response is needed to solve the problem, but progress is slow.
As a tourist destination, the appearance of Torbay’s town centres and seafront areas is vital; a clean environment will encourage visitors to come again while those left with a bad impression will not, and a poor reputation can quickly be gained.
While some local authorities do tackle the problem, actively removing chewing gum litter from pavements and punishing those who drop it, there are wide disparities across the UK. The problem is endemic in Torbay, and contributes to the low footfall that is blighting town centre shops and could also have a negative effect on the tourist trade.
Torbay Council officers have highlighted its own efforts in putting up information posters to dissuade offenders. The Council does describe chewing gum as ‘anti-social’ but disposed of responsibly it causes no harm and it is argued chewing can improve oral health.
Many councils, especially in tourist destinations, invest in chewing gum removal and some have implemented fixed penalty notices and street warden patrols to provide enforcement.
Councils do have a legal duty to remove litter from public areas but Torbay has not been able even to provide an estimated cost of removing chewing gum litter.
Development of biodegradable chewing gum is not likely to occur for a number of years.
Adrian will be lobbying DEFRA ministers to find a better solution to the problem.
Adrian said: “There is an inadequate response from many councils to this problem. I would be amazed if other forms of litter or graffiti were left in town centres and local authorities and DEFRA need to take action to make sure chewing gum is cleaned away.”
“It is not cheap to remove chewing gum and it has been suggested that a tax on chewing gum would provide the necessary funding. Even the threat of a tax in Ireland forced manufacturers to give over £5million to cleaning initiatives.”
“Councils can introduce cheaper measures to fight this problem, providing more regularly emptied litter bins and imposing small penalty fines for dropping litter would be a good start.”
“I think it is underestimated in Torbay how much impact considerations like these have on marketing the tourist industry and encouraging repeat visits and the higher spending visitor currently aspired to by the Council.”
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