CARMARTHENSHIRE: Gum-blasting cash to deep-clean Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford streets

The blackened blobs of trodden-in chewing gum on Carmarthenshire’s busiest pavements are getting blasted away, after the county council won £27,500 to deep-clean its town centres.

Carmarthenshire County Council is one of 50 UK councils to win funding this year from the Chewing Gum Task Force, a clean-up fund paid for by the gum manufacturers themselves, including Mars Wrigley and Perfetti Van Melle.

The money will target the places where gum staining is most visible: deep-cleaning pedestrian areas in the county’s principal town centres, Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford, and tackling gum stuck to benches, bins and other street furniture.

The work will be carried out by the council’s own street-cleaning crews, the Tîm Tacluso, whose name means “tidying team”.

Alongside the jet washing, the grant funds signage designed to nudge people into binning their gum rather than dropping it.

There is evidence it works: monitoring by Behaviour Change, a not-for-profit social enterprise, found gum littering fell by up to 86% in the first two months after funded councils cleaned up and put the signs in, and the reductions held six months later.

Cllr Edward Thomas, cabinet member for transport, waste and infrastructure services, said: “We are delighted to receive this funding from the Chewing Gum Task Force. Chewing gum litter can be difficult and costly to remove, so this investment will help us improve the appearance of our town centres and public spaces across Carmarthenshire.

“Working with our Tîm Tacluso teams, we will target some of the areas most affected by chewing gum staining, helping to create cleaner and more welcoming environments for residents, businesses and visitors.

“Keeping Carmarthenshire clean is a shared responsibility, and we hope this initiative will encourage everyone to dispose of their chewing gum properly and take pride in the communities where they live, work and visit.”

The Task Force was set up by the UK government’s environment department, Defra, and is run by charity Keep Britain Tidy, with the manufacturers putting in up to £10m over five years. Now in its fifth year, it has awarded more than £6.46m and funded the cleaning of over 4.15 million square metres of pavement across the UK.

Keep Britain Tidy says around 77% of England’s streets and 99% of retail sites are stained with chewing gum.

The charity’s chief executive, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, said: “While chewing gum litter remains a stubborn eyesore in our public spaces, the good news is that this scheme is already driving major improvements.

“Every piece of gum dropped irresponsibly damages the environment, taking years to break down naturally, while also leaving taxpayers to foot the bill for costly clean-up operations. Everyone in Carmarthenshire can play a part in creating cleaner, greener streets for all by binning their gum properly.”

Author

Kit Peters

Kit Peters is a journalist and the editor of Swansea Bay News, covering Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Carmarthenshire since 2020.