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The Issue > Overview
The chewing gum market is estimated to be grow a staggering
18% by 2010 (Mintel: Chewing gum & mints; 2004),
with more than half the population of the UK chewing
gum…but did you know that for every ten pieces
of gum chewed an average of seven pieces will be disposed
of onto the floor (DEFRA: gumdroppers3.pdf),
but where will it all go…onto our streets…into
our playgrounds…outside our shops… and even
our homes!
An independent BBC survey in 2004 found 66% of UK pavements
suffered from some form of chewing gum litter whilst
ENCAMS research (2002) showed a substantial eight out
of ten local community retail areas suffer from significant
levels of chewing gum litter and staining. Chewing gum
litter is difficult and costly to remove. It is highly
resistant to aggressive chemicals and all weather conditions
and does not break down over time, therefore deposits
easily accumulate. Whilst cleansing is an inconvenient
and costly short term solution, chewing gum litter
prevention is really the only way forward.
Unlike every other form of litter, chewing gum is not
removed through normal cleansing regimes and requires
specialist removal services that are both expensive
and ineffective in the long-term. Chewing gum litter
is on the rise in correlation with increasing sales
and proposed smoking bans and it is not alone the cost
and difficulty of removing it that presents a foreseeable
problem.
Broken window syndrome (William Eggers & John O’Leary;
Policy Review, Fall, 1995) holds the essence to why
Meteora Limited believes chewing gum litter is a pressing
issue. In an article titled "Broken Windows,"
James Q. Wilson and George Kelling argued that disorder
in a community, in any form, be it broken windows, dog
fouling or chewing gum litter if left uncorrected, undercuts
residents’ own efforts to maintain their neighbourhoods
and control unruly behaviour.
"If a window in a building
is broken and left un-repaired, other windows will soon
be broken… One un-repaired window is a signal that
no one cares, so breaking more windows costs nothing.”
If incorrect behaviour goes unchecked a vicious cycle
will begin. Residents’ involvement in the community
will decline, social regulation will cease and the community
and its establishments will be degraded. www.sjvgreens.org
Chewing gum litter is on the rise and shows no signs
of decline. Whilst it is known that chewing gum litter
can degrade an area and devour a cleansing budget, the
consumer is poorly informed of the long-term damaging
affects of their actions and yet the ENCAMS survey showed
that ‘clean streets are consistently cited by the
public as one of the most significant issues affecting
local community environment quality.’
However, new legislation has introduced fines for the
incorrect disposal of chewing gum; it is therefore fitting
that now should be the time to concentrate on prevention.
Meteora Limited believes that chewing
gum is a unique form of litter and therefore requires
a unique set of solutions. For this
reason we have created a unique piece of hardware that is
sustainable and affordable, but most of all… effective.
We believe in educating the consumer and raising awareness
through continuous hardware messaging, therefore effecting
a long-term change in consumer behaviour.
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