New tech for chewing gum removal

Gumbusters 01 sml

Shetland Islands Council now has new technology to remove discarded chewing gum, with specialist equipment bought using a grant from the Chewing Gum Task Force. 

The Chewing Gum Task Force was established by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and is run by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy. 

Shetland Islands Council is one of 44 Councils across the UK to receive the first tranche of funding, provided by major gum manufacturers including Mars Wrigley and Perfetti Van Melle to tackle chewing gum stains. 

The £8172 grant has allowed the Council to purchase two backpack sprayers that remove chewing gum within seconds, using a combination of steam and an eco-friendly detergent.  The backpacks are battery operated and self-contained, offering a portable solution to reach any problem locations where deep cleaning is needed. 

Cleansing staff will initially target areas of high-footfall where discarded chewing gum is visible, including the Market Cross and the Viking Bus Station in Lerwick. 

New signage will soon also be installed on litter bins, to encourage people to bin their gum. 

Moraig Lyall, Chair of the Council’s Environment and Transport Committee says - “Discarded chewing gum is a completely avoidable problem, that is costly and time-consuming to remove.  This new equipment will allow us to tackle gum on pavements and streets more quickly.  We’d encourage everyone to dispose of all litter carefully, including chewing gum.  Bin it, or take it home, rather than dropping it on our streets.”  


More details on the Chewing Gum Task Force are available on the Keep Britain Tidy webpage

 

Published: 2nd November 2022