News

Tackling the sticky issue of chewing gum on Strabane, Sion Mills & Newtownstewart’s streets

16 July 2026

Derry City and Strabane District Council has successfully obtained a grant from the Chewing Gum Task Force, administered by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, to help clean up gum and reduce gum littering.

Derry City and Strabane District Council today announced ambitious plans to remove the chewing gum that blights local streets after receiving a £27,500 grant to tackle the issue.

The council is one of 50 across the country that has successfully applied to the Chewing Gum Task Force, now in its fifth year, for funds to clean gum off pavements and prevent it from being littered in the first place.

The Chewing Gum Task Force grant scheme – established by Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and run by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy – 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 it from being dropped in the first place.

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.

In the past four years, the Task Force has awarded grants worth a total of £6.46 million, funded the cleaning of over 4.15 million square metres of pavements.

Monitoring and evaluation carried out by Behaviour Change – a not-for-profit social enterprise – has shown that in areas that benefitted from funding, a reduced rate of gum littering of up to 86% was seen in the first two months.

Reductions were still being observed six months after targeted street cleansing and the installation of specially designed signage to encourage people to bin their gum.

John Quinn,  Streetscape Manager at Derry City and Strabane District Council, said the team was delighted to receive the funding and were looking forward to seeing the positive impact it will make on the local areas.

“We are delighted to have secured this funding, which will help us tackle chewing gum litter in our rural towns and villages. Chewing gum litter is not only unsightly but can also be costly to remove, so this investment will enable us to enhance the appearance of our local communities while encouraging people to dispose of their gum responsibly. We look forward to seeing the positive impact this initiative will have in creating cleaner, more welcoming places for residents and visitors alike,” she added.

According to Keep Britain Tidy, around 77% of England’s streets and 99% of retail sites are stained with gum.

Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Keep Britain Tidy’s Chief Executive, said: “While chewing gum litter remains a stubborn eyesore in our public spaces, the good news is that this scheme is already driving major improvements.

“As an environmental charity, we know that every piece of gum dropped irresponsibly damages the environment, taking years to break down naturally, while also leaving taxpayers to foot the bill for costly clean-up operations.

“Everyone in Strabane, Sion Mills and Newtownstewart can play a part in creating cleaner, greener streets for all by binning their gum properly.”