Southport, Merseyside, UK 19th October, 2015. Launch of Keep Britain Tidy Campaign. Trial of street chewing gum removal machine in Southport operated by Primoserve Environmental Ltd in advance of the launch of the latest Keep Britain Tidy campaign on the 20th October. The particular machine, one of only three in the country, uses high temperature steam to remove and loosen the gum which is then transferred to an adjacent trailer. The discarded street pavement gum, to be targeted, is highlighted with a magenta fluorescent spray.
Town halls want gum companies to make a "substantial" contribution to the estimated £60million annual cost of removing gum from Britain's pavements. The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents almost 400 councils in England and Wales, is calling for a "producer pays" principle so manufacturers are obliged to help shoulder some of the clean-up cost. Chewing gum is a plague on our pavements. It is a blight which costs councils a fortune to clean up and takes hours of hard work to remove The average piece of gum costs 3p to buy but around £ - fifty times that price - to clean up. Chewing gum is described as a plague on our pavements, and a blight which costs councils a fortune to clean up and takes hours of hard work to remove. Campaigners describe it as ugly, unsightly and unacceptable. The UK gum industry is estimated to be a multimillion-pound business and should be that the principle of the 'polluter' Chewing gum giants should be making a substantial contribution to help with the constant work that councils are doing in removing it. The removal is for the benefit of their shoppers, town centre users, businesses and residents: to make the pavements more attractive and the environment better. The litter prevention campaigns are funded by gum manufacturers: The Wrigley Company, Perfetti Van Melle and Mondelez International (Cadbury). However, given the size of the bill faced by councils in these tough economic times, this isn't cutting the mustard." Councils are also calling on gum makers to make a type which is biodegradable and easier to remove as most gum never decomposes once it is trodden into the pavement, meaning specialised removal equipment is needed.
Size: 3450px × 2532px
Location: Southport, Merseyside, UK
Photo credit: © MediaWorldImages / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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