Derry City and Strabane District Council have received a special grant towards a campaign to clean up chewing gum and reduce gum littering on the Council area’s streets and pavements.
Gum Busters will receive project funding of £24,500 from the Chewing Gum Task Force, administered by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy.
The Foyle Street area of the city will be a pilot area for the equipment to be used. However, it is hoped that the equipment will be available to businesses and community groups in the future.
The Chewing Gum Task Force Grant Scheme is open to councils that wish to clean up gum in their areas and invest in long-term behavior change to prevent gum from being dropped.
The Task Force is funded by major gum manufacturers, including Mars Wrigley and Perfetti Van Melle, who have committed an investment of up to £10 million spread over five years.
Chair of the Council’s Environment and Regeneration Committee, Councillor Keith Kerrigan, welcomed the funding and urged the public to consider the impact of their actions when disposing of chewing gum.
