Gum squad’s £30,000 bill to tackle town’s sticky problem

MORE than £30,000 is to be spent in a bid to remove chewing gum from the streets of a Yorkshire town and council bosses vowed to fine anyone caught spitting it onto the pavement in future.
By Martin Slack
Published 23rd Jan 2013, 06:00 BST

Doncaster Council said its operation would start next Monday and will involve an “intensive four week deep cleanse” of the town centre’s streets with the help machinery owned by a specialist gum removal contractor.

The authority said chewing gum was the most difficult type of litter it had to deal with and a spokesman said specialist methods need edto be used to tackle dropped gum which has been trodden down.

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Officers said that the clean-up cames at a “significant cost” of around £33,000 and added they would take tough enforcement action to try and ensure the operation did not need to be repeated in the near future..

Deputy Mayor, Coun Cynthia Ransome, who is the council’s spokesman for litter and waste issues said: “Dropping or spitting out a small piece of chewing gum might not seem like a big deal to some residents, but it is still litter and the amount dropped on our streets adds up to an unsightly and costly litter issue.

“This specialist clean-up has required significant investment at a time when public funds are becoming increasingly restricted and this cost to the tax payer could so easily have been avoided if everyone made the small effort to put gum in the bin.

“We will not tolerate litter in any form and our enforcement officers will issue a fixed penalty notice to anyone caught dropping litter no matter how small.”

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The council said that during the clean-up operation, staff from the Bin Washing Company will be wearing “back pack spot cleaners” and ride-along street sweepers to return the town centre’s streets to “gum-free condition”.

Charles White, director at the Bin Washing Company, which is based in Bradford, said: “We are delighted to be able to help the council to tackle the sticky issue of gum litter in Doncaster.

“The entire clean-up process is quiet, non-toxic and eco-friendly and should not cause any disruption to residents or businesses in the area.

“However, should anyone have any queries or experience any issues they can contact us on 01274 662288.”

Related topics:Doncaster CouncilYorkshireBradfordDoncaster