4 days ago
Heckmondwike deep cleanse to be funded by Chewing Gum Task Force
The Chewing Gum Task Force has given more than £20,000 of funding to Kirklees Council to help tackle gum litter.
Last year, 16,503 pieces of gum litter were removed from streets in Huddersfield and Dewsbury, and this year the spotlight will be on Heckmondwike and Marsden, according to a spokesperson for the council.
£26,450 has been received by the council to fund the efforts.
A one-off, deep cleanse around Heckmondwike town centre is planned, to complement bus station development works.
Funding will also be used to clear up gum litter in Marsden town centre and at the town's train station.
Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, chair of Keep Britain Tidy, which runs the Chewing Gum Task Force, said: "People need to remember that disposing irresponsibly of their gum causes harm to our environment as it takes years to decompose naturally – and, ultimately, costs the public purse to clean up."
Kirklees is one of 52 councils to have successfully applied for funding this year from the Chewing Gum Task Force, which was established by the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs and which is funded by such major gum manufacturers as Mars Wrigley and Perfetti Van Melle.
