Councils' chewing gum 'tax' call

The postcard which will be signed by representatives at the summit

Westminster Council is hosting a summit which hopes to put pressure on the government to force Wrigley to place a 1p levy on chewing gum.

Organisers say this would raise money which could be used to fund an education programme about dropping gum.

Up to £150m is spent in the UK every year cleaning gum off the streets.

A spokeswoman for the Biscuit Cake Chocolate & Confectionery Association said the chewing gum industry takes the issue seriously.

Clear-up bills

Alison Ward said that among other initiatives a campaign was being launched this year to persuade people to dispose of their gum responsibly.

"We believe these campaigns, rather than a tax on manufacturers or the 28 million chewers of gum, is the right way to proceed," she added.

Organisers of the summit said the levy could raise about £9m a year.

Officials will sign a postcard asking Wrigley to "take responsibility for the environmental impact of your product".

This will then be taken to Wrigley's UK headquarters in Plymouth on Wednesday.

Government help

Westminster Council said chewing gum costs 3p, per piece, to manufacture and 10p to clean up.

A spokesman for the council said they had written to the government asking for them to put pressure on Wrigley to help financially.

Councils are also facing huge increases in clean-up bills if a government bill to classify gum as litter is successful.

The new bill would mean councils would have to clean up gum every day.

Representatives from Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Dublin will be at the summit in City Hall on Tuesday.