Southport BID launches campaign to change behaviour towards chewing gum disposal

by
21st October 2015

One of the busiest streets in Southport has been transformed like never before, as Southport BID launched a campaign to reduce gum litter in the town centre.

Partnering with Sefton Council and The Chewing Gum Action Group (CGAG), an organisation chaired by Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and funded by the chewing gum industry to tackle gum litter in the UK, the grey pavements on Corporation Street will be transformed with brightly-coloured circles to highlight the significant amount of gum that is dropped.

The Southport BID Team will take to Corporation Street to circle every single piece of discarded gum at the junction with Chapel Street using water soluble fluorescent chalk, and witness the public reaction to the eye-catching measle-like patterns created across one of the busiest areas in Southport. The gum will then be removed by specialist gum removal company, Primoserve making the streets cleaner and more attractive.

Enda Rylands, Southport BID chair, said: “We want the people of Southport to feel immensely proud of where they live which is why we have partnered with the Chewing Gum Action Group this year to raise awareness and proactively tackle the issue of gum litter.

“Year on year, chewing gum litter is costly and difficult to remove, therefore we hope that this campaign will encourage gum chewers to bin their gum the right way and understand that they can play a part in making Southport a more attractive place for all our visitors.”

Supporting the campaign this year, Cllr Paulette Lappin, Cabinet Member Regulatory, Compliance and Corporate Services, said: “Dropping chewing gum on the street is simply anti-social behaviour and needs to stop. Not only does it have a negative impact on the environment but generally there is an unnecessary cost to the local authority to clean up any litter which could be avoided.

“We are delighted to support this project with the Southport BID to help clean the streets of Southport of chewing gum. Enforcement officers will be out during the campaign and people need to know that by dropping something as small as a piece of gum on the floor could see a fixed penalty notice of £75 being issued. Please don’t do it and instead take your litter home or use one of the many bins provided.”

Now in its 10th year, the annual campaign sees representatives from the chewing gum industry, Government and environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy working with councils and Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) across the whole of the UK to develop local initiatives to reduce chewing gum litter.

As part of the campaign, Southport BID will also deep clean 10,000 square metres of paving.

CGAG campaign co-ordinator Kristian Bentham added: “Every year for the past 10 years, the Chewing Gum Action Group campaign has delivered some positive results. Through our creative campaign this year, we wanted to highlight that dropping gum is still littering and one that greatly affects the local area.

“We have no doubt this year’s visual campaign will raise further awareness and have a lasting impact on residents and shoppers. We are delighted to be working with Southport BID this year to help them create a cleaner place to live and work.”

Nine BIDs and local authorities from across the UK are taking part in this year’s campaign. For more information, please visit www.chewinggumactiongroup.org.uk

 

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