Posted on Friday 8th June 2012
Bin it, wrap it or even swallow it, but if you spit gum on to the street in Rhondda Cynon Taf you will be fined!
It has been a sticking point for many years, but Rhondda Cynon Taf Council is stamping down on chewing gum waste – the latest campaign urges residents to SAVE YOUR SOLE!
Every year the Council carries out various deep cleaning blitzes, costing over £30k to tackle this unsightly and sticky problem.
Chewing gum on our streets has been a problem for many years and can cause various problems for those who step in it or sit on it. Chewing gum takes over five years to bio-degrade and sticks permanently to our streets until it is forcibly removed.
The Council’s Streetcare mobile Industrial Cleaning Team armed with thousands of pounds of cleaning equipment, take to the streets of town centre across the County Borough every month blasting thousands of square metres of pavements in the towns.
The latest operation in Pontypridd cost £3000 and took almost 6 weeks to complete as the team have to undertake the majority of the work during the early mornings before the shops open and visitors hit the towns.
Pontypridd and Aberdare Town Centres are both undergoing multi-million-pound regeneration works in a bid to improve the appearance of the areas for shoppers and visitors alike. The works have included replacing existing pavements with high quality stone paving, which is already being ruined by chewing gum!
In a bid to further tackle the problem, the Council has called on the Gum Buster – which is an innovative new cleaning machine that is worn by a cleaning operative and contains a small gas aerosol can, a small rechargeable battery, a unique 12 Volt pump and a bottle of environmentally friendly gum removal solution.The combination of pressure, heat and cleaning solution means that a wad of gum can be removed in just 3 seconds!
But this machine is costly and the Council only has one, to tackle all the streets in Rhondda Cynon Taf - The Council is sending out a clear message to thoughtless residents and visitors who drop gum on to the streets – SAVE YOUR SOLE by Binning it, wrapping it or even swallowing it, but if you spit gum on to the street you could face a £75 fine for littering.
The clean up operation is set to continue across the County Borough over the next year, with the team targeting town centres and the worst affected streets.
Councillor Andrew Morgan, Cabinet Member for Frontline Services, said: "When chewing gum is carelessly thrown away it gets trodden into the pavements and makes the area look grimy and dirty.
“We do not tolerate people dropping litter of any form and will not hesitate to take action on anyone spotted committing this environmental crime.
“Littering demonstrates a blatant disregard for the local community and the County Borough, which we are committed to maintaining as a beautiful place where our residents feel proud to live.
“This means making sure all of our town centres are kept clean and tidy.”
For more information call 01443 425001 or visit www.rctcbc.gov.uk/litter|