The sticky problem blighting our city's streets
CHEWING gum on pavements is proving to be what people in the city loathe the most following the launch of our Clean Up Derby campaign.
Since we launched the campaign on Monday, readers have been complaining in their droves about areas of the city which are particularly litter-strewn, or fly-tipping hotspots.
But chewing gum stuck to city centre pavements is high up on people's lists of pet hates.
Brenda Stevenson of Moor End, Spondon, said that chewing gum should be taxed.
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She said: "The people that don't chew gum shouldn't have to pay for it to be cleaned off the streets. I think it should be taxed and some of that money should go to cleaning it off.
"People just chuck it down as if they expect you to be following them with a dust pan and brush."
Maria Woolley, 64, of Firs Crescent, Allestree, said: "I hate to see the pavements covered in chewing gum. They've put all these nice pavements down and people just ruin them with their gum. It's a real shame."
Sarah Floate, 45, who visits Derby from Nottingham, said when she is having a cigarette she ensures she is standing next to a bin.
She said: "People always complain about smokers but no one ever confronts people who drop gum. You see it scattered all around bins. People can be so lazy."
Charlie King, 18, from Alvaston, said she thought it was unhygienic.
She said: "I bet you can catch all kinds of diseases from it. I have ruined pairs of jeans from sitting on bits of old chewing gum on benches. It's disgusting."
Ian Wheatley, head of grounds maintenance and cleaning at Derby City Council, said that it posed a sticky issue for the council's teams.
He said: "We have a member of staff who spends around 25 hours each week dedicated to gum removal using equipment which softens and removes the gum with steam.We have not had any public campaigns specifically aimed at the problem, however we do provide around 140 litter bins in the city centre for people to use to dispose of their gum."
Comments
by OllyB1
Sunday, December 02 2012, 10:23PM
“No Arawn- it's dog poo !”
by OllyB1
Sunday, December 02 2012, 10:19PM
“No Arawn - it's dog poo!”
by _Arawn_
Sunday, December 02 2012, 1:46PM
“by OllyB1
"I thought it was the dog poo that's all over our streets and parks that people hated most!"
Spitting, and chewing gum contains human spit, is the biggest danger. TB and over 1,000 other contagious conditions can be contracted this way.”
by OllyB1
Sunday, December 02 2012, 12:38PM
“I thought it was the dog poo that's all over our streets and parks that people hated most!”
by marmitelover
Saturday, December 01 2012, 3:36PM
“Yep, spit is major in Normanton bringing viruses/diseases into the home.”
by Fasty
Saturday, December 01 2012, 11:17AM
“I wish all I had to worry about was a bit of chungy on my shoes - on the other hand I tend to watch where I'm walking.”
by oh_j_say_john
Saturday, December 01 2012, 11:09AM
“Brenda Stevenson of Moor End, Spondon, said that chewing gum should be taxed.
Fags are taxed but I still throw my dog ends on the floor whilst out so how is taxing it going to solve the problem ?.”
by make_redgreen
Saturday, December 01 2012, 11:07AM
“I'd have said people.”
by coralsea
Saturday, December 01 2012, 10:51AM
“what about the sputum that filthy individuals feel thay have to do on public streets and the public unknowingly walk through, who knows what that filthy person has in his/or hes's spit”