Provost Makes Plea To Keep Chewing Gum Off City Streets

The Provost of Inverness, Councillor Bob Wynd has renewed his plea for the public to play their part in keeping the city streets free from chewing chum and reduce the annual bill of  £35,000 it costs the council to combat chewing gum.

Chairman of The Highland Council’s Inverness City Committee, Provost Bob Wynd said: “The removal of used chewing gum from our city streets is an expensive business. We provide plenty of litter bins, including special chewing gum bins along the High Street, so there is no need for anyone to discard their used gum by spitting it to the ground. With the Easter holidays about to start and more visitors arriving, we want to ensure the city is looking at its best so I am renewing my plea for people take pride in their surroundings and do their bit to keep our streets litter-free.”

In setting its budget for 2008/09, the Council has shown its commitment to keeping Highland communities cleaner by agreeing to spend an additional £1million on community works.  This includes employing 7 full-time additional street cleaning operatives  and 1 littering and dog fouling enforcement officer in Inverness, Nairn and Badenoch.
 
Provost Bob Wynd met some of the Inverness staff responsible for cleaning the streets and was shown the special Gum Buster machine they use to clear up chewing gum.  He added:  “Littering is an offence.  If everyone is a bit more responsible and careful about how they get rid of their gum, the money we currently use to clear up the mess can be used to fund more projects to make our city centre a safe and attractive place for locals and visitors to enjoy.”

Over the coming year £150,000 will be spent on grounds maintenance in Inverness Nairn and Badenoch and Strathspey.