New funding will help South Ayrshire Council to tackle the issue of chewing gum on Prestwick streets

South Ayrshire Council has once again received funding from environmental charity, Keep Britain Tidy, to support the removal of chewing gum on streets across the area.

The council is one of 50 local authorities across the UK that have successfully secured funding through the Chewing Gum Task Force, now in its fifth year. The funding award of £25,530 will enable footpaths to be cleaned and chewing gum to be removed.

The Chewing Gum Task Force, established by Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), and run by Keep Britain Tidy, is open to all councils across the UK, aiming to establish long-term behaviour change in order to prevent chewing gum from being dropped.

The Task Force is funded by major chewing 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 Chewing Gum Task Force has awarded grants worth a total of £6.46 million across the UK, enabling the cleaning of over 4.15 million square metres of pavement and delivering chewing gum litter reductions of up to 86%, where funding has been provided.

Following chewing gum removal in Troon, made possible due to funding awarded in 2025, Prestwick town centre will be the next area to benefit, with pavements being targeted along the full length of the Main Street. The project will take place in September, helping to create clean and welcoming public spaces.

Alongside the grant-funded work in Prestwick, the Council has invested in two new specialist machines to remove chewing gum. These are currently being implemented by the Council's Thriving Communities teams to remove chewing gum from town centres in Ayr, Girvan and Maybole.

South Ayrshire Council's Depute Leader and Policy Lead for Commercial/Operational Services, Councillor Alec Clark, said: "This is great news for our local areas. The funding received from the Chewing Gum Task Force initiative is enabling us to tackle affected areas across South Ayrshire by using removal measures and encouraging behaviour change. Our towns and villages are our biggest assets and this funding is helping us to keep it that way."

Keep Britain Tidy's Chief Executive, Allison Ogden-New OBE, 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 South Ayrshire can play a part in creating cleaner, greener streets for all by binning their gum properly."