A campaign has launched today to keep Croydon’s town centre streets free from chewing gum stains, following an extensive deep clean funded by a recent grant award.
Croydon was among the first councils to successfully bid for £20k from The Chewing Gum Task Force; a brand-new fund administered by Keep Britain Tidy to help clean chewing gum from the UK’s towns and cities.
The council has been working in partnership with Croydon BID who have supplied £6,500 of additional funding to maximise the impact of the grant.
Crews have just completed 280 hours of deep cleaning in North End, George Street and Church Street to remove gum from the pavement and clean up the area.
New signage has also been installed to deter further gum littering and remind consumers to bin their gum, with bright posters to make the bins more prominent.
Previously, when piloted in other parts of the UK, this signage has been found to reduce gum littering by up to 64%.
Littering is a criminal offence, and anyone caught doing it could face an £80 fine. Whether it be a coffee cup or bubble gum – the right place for it is always a bin.
This news follows the recent announcement of the boosted graffiti removal service, which was reinstated by Mayor Jason Perry last month.
“Cleaning up the town centre is a key priority for me, and I know it is something that matters deeply to our residents and local businesses.
“Stains from chewing gum are unsightly and difficult to remove from our pavements, so I very much welcome this intervention and appreciate the work being done to restore pride and keep our streets looking their best.”
Jason Perry, Executive Mayor of Croydon
Gum cleaning side-by-side at North End.
Matthew Sims, Chief Executive, Croydon Business Improvement District (BID) said: “To provide a clean and welcoming environment for those that live, work, and visit Croydon town centre is of the utmost importance for us.
“Working with Croydon Council and The Chewing Gum Task Force, we are pleased to have been able to enhance our efforts to remove gum and to support efforts to change people’s behaviour when it comes to discarding their gum. Our cleansing team has provided 280 hours of heavy cleaning, working through many nights, which has resulted in improvements in the town’s appearance as we move into the critical Christmas trading period for the town.”
