Litter enforcement officers in Swansea are urging shoppers in the city centre to use specially designed chewing gum bins or face getting hit with a £75 fine for throwing gum on the floor.
The Council spends around £25,000 a year pressure washing walking areas at hotspots within the city centre including Oxford Street, High Street and Wind Street.
Streetforce Enforcement officers are now moving towards a zero tolerance approach and will issue anyone caught throwing chewing gum on the ground with a fixed penalty notice.
Businesses are also being urged to do their bit and to help tackle the gum problem directly outside their premises.
Cllr John Hague, Cabinet Member for the Environment in Swansea Council, said: “We have a duty to act responsibly and deal more effectively with the litter problem in the city.
“I believe the majority of people have respect for the environment and use litter bins but there are a small minority who continue to carelessly litter our city.”
Frances Williams, Swansea Council’s Litter Enforcement Officer, said: “Cleaning up chewing gum litter is a costly exercise. We spend around £25,000 a year pressure washing the main shopping areas.
“We want shoppers to do the right thing and dispose of chewing gum in a more responsible manner. We have also installed purpose built chewing gum bins to help improve the problem.
“It’s not easy for our litter enforcement officers to catch anyone throwing away gum but we will issue fixed penalty notices if we catch anyone carelessly littering the city centre.”
The Council’s Streeforce initiative has been operating in the city centre for a number of years. As well as cracking down on chewing gum litter, the Streetforce Team issues fines for general litter.
