Gum costs 3pm a piece to make - and 10p a piece to deal with
An £18,000 grant from the Chewing Gum Task Force will help Teignbridge Council clean up gum and reduce gum littering.
The council is one of 54 across the country to have been awarded cash to peel gum off the pavements and prevent them from getting littered again.
Cllr Peter Williams (Lib Dem, Teignmouth), is the council’s executive member for recycling, household waste and environmental health. He said: “Carelessly discarded chewing gum is a major headache for residents, businesses and the council. It destroys clothes and shoes, presents a serious hazard to wildlife and can blight the appearance of a local neighbourhood.
“A piece of chewing gum costs about three pence to produce, but the cost of removal is around 10p. And when you consider that the vast majority – over 80% - of gum is not disposed of properly, this is an enormous cost to society and the taxpayer.”
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