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Food manufacturers 'should fund chewing gum clean-up costs'
28th of November 2014
Chewing gum manufacturers should help to cover the cost of removing "ugly and unsightly" chewing gum from the UK's streets. That's according to the Local Government Association (LGA) which represents over 400 local authorities.
The LGA also says food companies should create products that disintegrate naturally once spat out.
The LGA estimates the annual cost of removing pieces trodden into pavements across England has reached 70.5 million euros. It claimed that while the average piece of gum costs about 0.4 cents to buy, local authorities have to spend around 1.9 euros to clean it up.
A spokesman for the LGA said: "We are calling for [firms] to show corporate responsibility and to contribute."
Wrigley dominates the UK chewing gum market but its spokesman would not be drawn on whether the company would help to clean up the streets. She said it takes the issue "very seriously" and is attempting to develop a product "that is easier to remove if disposed of improperly".
She added: "The only long-term solution to this problem is persuading people to dispose of their chewing gum responsibly, as the large majority already do."
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