Gum chewers in Huntingdon and St Ives have a fun new way to dispose of their chewing gum - they are being asked to ‘Stick em Up’ as part of a new initiative launched this week by Huntingdonshire District Council to reduce gum litter on our streets.

The council is working with a firm called Meteora Ltd and placing 15 GumTargets in each town as a trial for one year to help reduce the mess caused by chewing gum.

The GumTarget is a specialist disposal device that fixes to posts, walls and railings. The front of the GumTarget is covered with a printed, removable GumSheet on which the chewer deposits used gum.
These GumSheets carry a campaign of messages that are changed regularly to maintain interest and motivate the user to dispose responsibly. Unlike a bin that offers no real incentive, the GumTarget provides topical, fun and involving ways to dispose of used gum.

Chewing gum litter has been steadily increasing for a number of years but has seen a more rapid growth due to the smoking ban and increased competition within the market. Ireland witnessed a 20% rise in chewing gum litter after they implemented the smoking ban and early figures suggest the increase will be even greater in England and Wales. The council is trialing this preventative measure, to combat this unique form of litter before street cleansing costs escalate.

Huntingdonshire District Council has worked hard to improve and maintain its’ town centre appearance; heritage housing, floral gardens and a picturesque historic market town helped Huntingdonshire scoop three of the four 2006 Eastern Regional Awards from the Association for Town Centre Management.

Improvement of local environmental quality is paramount. The GumTarget Initiative will continue this theme of improvement as chewing gum can degrade the appearance of an otherwise attractive shared local space, whilst also costing around £17,000 a year  to remove in all our market towns.

Councillor Colin Hyams Executive Councillor for Operations said, “Huntingdonshire is a pleasant place to live and the council has made a concerted effort to improve and maintain the appearance of our shared local spaces. The GumTarget should actively encourage chewers to be responsible with their chewing gum and we hope the public will assist in keeping Huntingdonshire clean and tidy”.

The GumTarget Initiative has been assisting councils in the fight against chewing gum litter for the last four years. Huntingdon and St Ives are the latest in an ever increasing number of towns to recognise the simplicity and success of the GumTargets.

Ian Kenyon, from Meteora Limited, the company behind the Initiative said; “We are extremely pleased with the support the public are showing towards the GumTarget Initiative. GumTarget has established itself as the only cost effective, long-term approach to the problem of littered gum. Each new site means there will be less gum on the streets and more people aware of the collective impact that such a seemingly innocent act, like littering chewing gum can have. It is a pleasure to welcome Huntingdonshire under the GumTarget umbrella.”

The council are working in partnership with Churchmanor, who have sponsored five gum targets in the area.