Tackling the sticky stuff: Oxford City Council and ODS working together to clean chewing gum off city's streets

Oxford City Council has been awarded grant funding to clean chewing gum waste from city’s streets for a second year.  

The grant, from the Chewing Gum Task Force and administered by the environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, will allow the Council, working with ODS, to clean up gum and reduce gum littering in the city. 

ODS will target key locations, including George Street, New Inn Hall Street, Carfax, Queens Street, part of St Ebbes, High Street and St Aldates down to Christchurch Meadows.  

The historic streets of Oxford frequently attract complaints from residents, businesses, and tourists about gum litter, which contributes to a poor appearance and causes issues for mobility aids, animals and historic buildings.  

Removing chewing gum is labor-intensive, typically requiring 30 minutes to clean 15m² with a steam cleaner followed by a mechanical sweeper to remove stains. ODS uses a repurposed 1973 electric milk float for these tasks, ensuring operations align with the city's sustainability goals.  

The Chewing Gum Task Force, established by Defra and operated by Keep Britain Tidy, encourages long-term behavior changes to prevent gum littering. Monitoring by Behaviour Change, a social enterprise, indicates that areas cleaned in the scheme's first year saw reduced gum littering six months post-cleanup. 

“This year’s grant funding will help us to clean up the city’s streets, but we need your help to keep them clean.  By disposing of gum responsibly, we can make sure Oxford’s city centre remains a welcoming place for residents, businesses, and visitors.  Together, we can tackle this sticky issue and improve our environment.” Councillor Alex Hollingsworth, Cabinet Member for Business, Culture and an Inclusive Economy 

"We're excited to use the Chewing Gum Task Force grant from Keep Britain Tidy for a second year to clean gum from key areas. This funding helps improve our historic streets' appearance and supports our sustainability goals using our repurposed electric milk float. Chewing gum litter affects our city's beauty and accessibility, last year's cleanup showed promising results. We're committed to making a lasting impact and keeping Oxford clean for everyone." Adrian Moss, City Centre and Streetscenes Service Manager 

“Chewing gum litter is highly visible on our high streets and is both difficult and expensive to clean up, so the support for councils provided by the Chewing Gum Task Force and the gum manufacturers is very welcome. However, once the gum has been cleaned up, it is vital to remind the public that when it comes to litter, whether it’s gum or anything else, there is only one place it should be – in the bin – and that is why the behaviour change element of the task force’s work is so important.” Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Keep Britain Tidy’s chief executive