Watch where you drop that used piece of chewing gum - you could face an on-the-spot fine of £80 for not disposing of your chuddy with more thought! An approximate annual £700,000 is spent tackling the issue of chewing gum litter. Local authorities have joined forces with the Chewing Gum Action Group (CGAG) to raise awareness of the problem and cut levels of gum litter.
Twelve Local Authorities have joined forces with the Chewing Gum Action Group(CGAG) to launch a new campaign to tackle the issue of chewing gum litter. Now in its sixth campaigning year, CGAG works with councils to develop local initiatives to raise awareness of the problem and cut levels of gum litter. On average, Local Authorities signed up to the programme see local gum litter reduced by 43%*.
CGAG is chaired by DEFRA and the annual campaign costs approximately £700,000. The programme encompasses advertising, public relations, road shows and awareness days to help challenge consumer behaviour and encourage gum chewers to re-think how they dispose of their used gum. This year’s advertising creative leads with the reminder that gum litterers risk a fine of up to £80.
This year, the Local Authorities backing the campaign include: Cambridge City Council, Carmarthenshire County Council, Chelmsford Borough Council, Croydon Town Centre BID, Gosport Borough Council, Newport City Council, Nottingham City Council, Rotherham MB, The Highland Council, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, Wolverhampton City Council and Glasgow City Council.
Environment Minister Lord Henley said: ‘Litter from chewing gum is a major problem and costs local authorities a great deal cleaning it up. There is no excuse for dropping gum and people need to start taking responsibility for their actions and bin their used gum or face the fines.’
In 2010, the average gum litter reduction for Local Authorities signed up to the campaign was 43%. However, reductions can be even more impressive, with Coventry City Council reporting an 84% drop in gum litter and Oldham and Gosport councils reporting drops of 74% and 69% respectively.
Commenting on the causes of chewing gum litter, behavioural psychologist Professor Geoff Beattie said: ‘When a person drops a piece of litter like chewing gum it is often a thoughtless act but with important social consequences for all of us – it changes the neighbourhood and makes it a worse place to live, not because of that single piece of litter on its own, but because once litter is on the ground, others are more likely to drop litter as well, making the neighbourhood less pleasant as a consequence.
People need to be more aware of their routine actions, sometimes a moment’s thought could make all the difference. We could show respect for our surroundings by pausing and reflecting, instead of just giving into our unconscious impulses.’
CGAG brings together a number of organisations including DEFRA, Keep Britain Tidy, Keep Wales Tidy, Keep Scotland Beautiful, the Food and Drink Federation, the Local Government Association, the Welsh Government, The Scottish Government and the chewing gum industry. It has been running successful campaigns to change the behaviour of irresponsible gum disposal since 2006.
CGAG campaign co-ordinator Natalie Forrester said: ‘With 12 Local Authorities signed up to the new campaign, we aim to build on the excellent gum litter reduction results of previous years. We hope that more consumers than ever will take positive action and dispose of their gum responsibly. Binning used gum is a small action which can have big consequences for the local area.’
2010 CAMPAIGN SUCCESS STORIES
Case study 1 – Carmarthenshire County Council
Carmarthenshire County Council signed up to the 2010 CGAG campaign to address the growing problem of chewing gum litter in local town centres. At a time of budget constraints, the Council turned to CGAG to help reduce gum litter removal costs – which Carmarthenshire estimates is approximately £30,000 a year - and keep town centres clean. The local campaign spanned advertising, PR and a town centre road show. In total, gum litter was reduced by 59%. The Council has joined the 2011 CGAG campaign to continue to drive positive gum litter reduction results.
Case study 2 – Croydon Town Centre BID (Business Improvement District)
The BID spends approximately £85,000 per year on additional deep cleaning services, which includes chewing gum removal from the area’s street. Having taken part in the CGAG campaign in 2008 and 2009, the Croydon BID (Business Improvement District) applied to participate in 2010 in order to build on the positive gum litter reduction results already achieved. The campaign was promoted through various means; in local newspapers and newsletters, posters and a launch event that saw a ‘Gum Squad’ distributing chewing gum wraps to the public on the day and over four weekends. The BID reported a 46% reduction in chewing gum litter following the campaign and has signed up to the 2011 activity to sustain its impact.
Case study 3 – Gosport Borough Council
Gosport applied to the 2010 CGAG campaign after deciding to take action to cut levels of gum litter in the Borough’s shopping areas. The Council rolled out advertising creative in high footfall areas and on transport and launched a PR campaign to engage the local media. Gum pouches were distributed and campaign launch events were staged in four high profile locations, including Gosport High Street. A ‘Bank of Bubblegum’ stunt was designed to highlight the fixed penalty notice for anyone caught littering their gum and gum disposal boards were displayed for residents to affix their used gum. Nine out of ten sites saw their gum litter reduced, with an overall reduction of 69% across the Borough.
