Chewing Gum Task Force cleans up Market Square

A popular area of Chelmsford city centre is now free of historic chewing gum staining, thanks to Chelmsford City Council’s Streetcare team and their brand-new ‘Gum Busting’ machines.

The machines, which were purchased with funding from the Chewing Gum Task Force, were used to clear long-lasting and unsightly chewing gum litter from Market Square, Cornhill, and the bus stop beneath High Chelmer car park. Signage to discourage gum littering was then installed in the same areas, in a bid to keep the pavements clean.

A government-led scheme, the Chewing Gum Taskforce is administered by independent charity Keep Britain Tidy and has two objectives: cleaning up historic gum staining and changing behaviour to ensure our streets remain gum-free.

The taskforce, now in its third year, partners with local authorities to help them fund clean-ups in specific areas and engage with their residents to spread a simple message: Bin your gum.

Gum Busting machines used to clean up Market Square

Love Your Chelmsford received funding from the Chewing Gum Task Force to purchase unique ‘Gum Buster’ machines, that use steam and a brass-bristled brush to agitate and scrub gum from pavements and roads.

The machines are battery-powered and were transported in all-electric Streetcare vans, making the entire cleaning process fossil-fuel-free, in alignment with Chelmsford City Council’s aims to become carbon net zero by 2030. The machines use a pre-mixed water/detergent solution, and the dry steam method limits chemical and water usage, to minimise any negative impact on our environment.

Chelmsford City Council now owns two Gum Buster machines.

The cleaning process is very labour intensive, with each piece of gum taking around 30 seconds to ‘bust’. The cleaning of Market Square and surrounding areas took place over four days in August 2024.

Before and after photos show the impact made by the Gum Busters.

After being successfully trialled by the Streetcare team in Market Square, the gum busting machines can now be used to remove gum across the whole district as part of Love Your Chelmsford’s Love Your Parish programme.

Signage installed to encourage visitors to keep the area clean

As well as providing funding for gum removal, the Chewing Gum Taskforce provides partners with litter prevention packages, including targeted behaviour change signage designed and produced by social enterprise Behaviour Change.

Signage installed around Chelmsford Market and the bus stop.

Councils participating in the chewing gum removal scheme have reported reductions in gum littering of up to 80% in the first two months post-clean-up, with a reduced rate of gum littering still being observed after six months.

Councillor Donna Eley hopes residents and visitors will notice the difference the clean-up has made:

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“The council’s fantastic Streetcare team put in a lot of time to remove the historic chewing gum staining that was so prevalent in Market Square and surrounding areas. The difference is clear and I hope that the cleanliness of the area, along with the colourful new signage, will cause people to think twice before littering their chewing gum.

“Respecting our environment contributes so much to the sense of community in our city, which is why Market Square was the perfect place for this project. Not only does it have a rich history, but it maintains a community spirit that Chelmsford can be proud of.”

Councillor Donna Eley, Cabinet Member for a Safer Chelmsford, Chelmsford City Council

Why is chewing gum litter so long lasting?

Many people consider chewing gum to be a food product, and therefore assume it will breakdown naturally once discarded, like an apple core or banana skin. But most chewing gum contains plastic, meaning that when it does eventually begin to decompose, it contributes to the ever-growing presence of microplastics in our environment and waterways.

A familiar sight: Chewing gum litter on pavements outside Chelmsford Market.

It is believed chewing gum can take anywhere from five to 1000 years to decompose – hence its prominence on our streets. Mark Smith, Team Leader of the council’s Environmental Sustainability team, says changing people’s mindsets around littering is the most important element of this project:

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“Cleaning up the gum is great, but in reality it won’t mean much if it’s just replaced by more. Most of us don’t think of chewing gum as plastic and that means people who wouldn’t dream of littering on a larger scale think it’s ok to drop a piece of gum now and then.

“We hope that this project will ignite a curiosity in people and get them thinking about where else they can limit their plastic use – and maybe how else they can help keep the district of Chelmsford clean.”

Mark Smith, Team Leader, Love Your Chelmsford

Funded by chewing gum manufacturers

The Chewing Gum Task Force is funded by some of the UK’s major chewing gum producers, including Mars Wrigley and Perfetti Van Melle, who have pledged up to £10m in funding over five years.

More than 100 councils took part in the project’s first two years, and last year alone, task force funded cleaning covered an area equivalent to the size of Vatican City.

When the scheme launched in 2021, a spokesperson for Perfetti Van Melle said:

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“As a manufacturer of gum products we are aware of the unfortunate impact our products can cause to cities and towns. By working together with industry peers, councils, and customers, we can also help be part of the solution, helping to clean up our streets and educating consumers on the importance of safe gum disposal.”

Hayley Osborne, Communications and Sustainability Manager, Perfetti Van Melle

If you would like to know more about Chelmsford City Council’s aim of achieving a Net Zero Carbon position by 2030, visit https://www.chelmsford.gov.uk/communities/climate-emergency-declaration-and-action-plan/.

To discover more about Love Your Chelmsford, including how you can get involved in river cleans and litter picks, visit https://loveyourchelmsford.co.uk/.