Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council’s gum litter campaign
At the beginning of 2006, Wigan Council decided to tackle one of the biggest litter blights in the borough – chewing gum. After successfully applying for funding to the Chewing Gum Action Group (a partnership between Defra, Keep Britain Tidy, industry and others), Wigan started a borough-wide gum litter campaign throughout August and September 2006.
Posters featuring the strapline ‘Thanks for binning your gum when you’re done’ were displayed at sites across the Wigan borough. One of the best parts of the campaign was Ben Bradshaw, Local Environmental Quality Minister launching it in the town centre where ‘wrap it’ papers were given out to the public who were encouraged to wrap their used gum and bin it. Businesses were also approached and asked to issue the wrap it papers. Activities were held throughout the event to attract attention and ended up attracting the local radio station, two newspapers and regional BBC TV resulting in some excellent media coverage.
Keith Benson, Street Scene Manager for Wigan said “The launch event was replicated in Leigh, another town in the borough where gum litter is a problem. Two launches ensured many more people were aware of the campaign and were encouraged to bin their gum. I definitely recommend this tactic to other authorities.”
The town centre areas were surveyed prior to the campaign launch and again after the drive ended. The results showed a huge 56% reduction in chewing gum litter. Additional surveys one month later showed a continuous reduction of 23% and a study by Keep Britain Tidy on behalf of the council revealed that chewing gum litter is still the biggest environmental issue for visitors and residents.
Wigan realises the importance of maintaining these results and creating a sustainable campaign. That’s why they will re-run the campaign throughout May 2007 but with one difference.
Explained Keith “We found it hard to monitor how many wrap it papers has actually been issued by local businesses as we had no proof that they were being given or if they were being used. That’s why this latest campaign will see only civic buildings such as libraries and Town Halls issuing the papers. That way we can fully monitor who is taking them and then follow up to see if they were actually used.”
The campaign involved great partnership working including:
- Town centre managers
- The Mayor
- Local schools
- Ward Councillors
- Local businesses
- Residents and visitors
Since the campaign, Wigan Council has purchased a power washer, that currently operates in Wigan and Leigh town centres five days a week and concentrates on chewing gum hot spot areas.
For further information about Wigan’s gum litter campaign, please contact Nick Burdekin by emailing n.burdekin@wiganmbc.gov.uk