Drive to reduce gum litter in Mansfield town centre

Encouraging residents to Bin It Your Way, the Mansfield Business Improvement District BID has partnered with the Chewing Gum Action Group (CGAG) - an organisation chaired by Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and funded by the chewing gum industry, to tackle gum litter in the UK.

The campaign, now in its ninth year, sees the industry working with councils and BIDs to develop local initiatives to reduce chewing gum litter.

Results from previous years demonstrate the significant impact of the campaign on gum litter levels.

In 2013 the campaign led to an average fall in gum litter of 47 per cent in participating areas, with some authorities reporting even higher results.

This year’s advertising campaign features professionally-choreographed and highly-innovative dance moves, encouraging gum chewers to dispose responsibly of gum litter in a fun and engaging way or face a fine of up to £80.

The dynamic, brightly-coloured adverts will appear in a range of locations across the local area, including roadside banners, bus stops, lamp-posts and telephone kiosks.

Sarah Nelson, BID manager, said: “Chewing gum litter can be a real nuisance that is costly and difficult to remove.

“We have partnered with the Chewing Gum Action Group to raise awareness and proactively tackle this problem.

“Having seen previous years’ positive results, we hope that this campaign will encourage gum chewers to think before they dispose of their gum and understand that they can play a part in making Mansfield town centre a clean and inviting place to live.”

CGAG campaign co-ordinator Kristian Bentham said: “Year on year we have seen the chewing gum action campaign deliver some great results.

“We are delighted to be working with Mansfield BID this year to help them create cleaner, more attractive places to live and work.”