Thursday 19 June 2025
For the second in a year in a row, and following a competitive bid process, we are delighted to share that Joint Waste Solutions has been awarded grant funding of just over £26,000 by Keep Britain Tidy and the Chewing Gum Taskforce to remove gum from streets in Elmbridge, Mole Valley and Surrey Heath.
Plans are being put in place to cleanse Cobham High Street in Elmbridge, Dorking High Street in Mole Valley, and Park Street, Camberley in Surrey Heath later this summer. The clean-up will provide a boost for residents and local businesses alike, with attractive signage installed straight after the clean-up that is designed to keep the streets gum-free for some time afterwards.
We are one of over 50 organisations across the country that have successfully applied to the Chewing Gum Task Force, now in its fourth year, for funds to clean gum off pavements and prevent it from being littered again. The Task Force is funded by major gum manufacturers including Mars Wrigley and Perfetti Van Melle, with an investment of up to £10 million spread over five years.
Established by Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and run by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, the Chewing Gum Task Force Grant Scheme is open to councils across the UK who wish to clean up gum in their local areas and invest in long-term behaviour change to prevent gum from being dropped in the first place.
We’ll share more details about the project closer to the time, and so watch this space!