Fife Council Granted £22,500 to Tackle Gum Stains in St Andrews

A government-backed organisation funded by Britain’s major chewing gum manufacturers has granted Fife Council £22,500 to tackle the “blight” of gum litter in St Andrews. 

The Chewing Gum Task Force (CGTF) is a voluntary producer responsibility scheme managed by the environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy (KBT) and funded by manufacturers including Mars Wrigley — the company behind Hubba Bubba — and Perfetti Van Melle, the creator of Mentos. The scheme was started in 2021 by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs as part of its “Keep it, Bin it” campaign to promote the responsible disposal of litter. 

The body is managed by KBT and funded by manufacturers, who have invested £10 million over a period of five years. Fife Council, whose grant was approved over the summer, joins more than 50 other councils in Britain participating in the scheme. 

The Council’s grant comes as Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB)’s annual environmental audit finds that 32.0% of the surveyed public area contained gum stains in 2025-6, a 4.7-point increase from 2023-4. The Times reacted to KSB’s findings by calling the street blemishes “the tell-tale signs of one of the western world’s filthiest habits.” 

Previous campaigns by CGTF have been successful. According to its 2025 report, an 86% decrease in gum littering was recorded in Cambridge following the scheme’s introduction by the city’s coterminous authority. Throughout its four-year existence, the scheme counts 4.15 million square metres of pavement amongst its successfully cleaned areas, or around 580 football pitches. 

The approach taken by CGTF is bipartite, involving both the removal of historic stains and the encouragement of behavioural changes to prevent further littering. The latter is attempted in part by the installation of humorous or playful signage to “nudge” gum-chewers into discarding their wads responsibly and signs that are designed to leverage local pride.  

In St Andrews, the most common sign used is one of their heritage options, reading: “In St Andrews, we bin our gum.” CGTF notes that this design “works well where a more traditional look and feel is needed to be in keeping with the surrounding buildings and pavements,” as in the historic thoroughfares of North, Market, and South streets. When signs of the same type were deployed in the ancient City of London, the monitored period saw a 56% drop in reported gum stains. 

The Saint spoke to two St Andreans who have reacted positively to the changes. “I’m surprised by the lack of gum I’ve seen,” said Sam, a returning History student. “It’s impressive.” 

Noah, a first-year student who attends lectures on the North Haugh, commented on how the initiative seemed to have reached even the peripheries of the town. “I didn’t notice any gum […] if there is any, the quantity is so limited that it’s not noticeable.” 

The waste operations service manager for Fife, Sally Anderson, wrote in a news update on the Council’s website:  “This funding is a really positive step for St Andrews. Chewing gum litter can have a big impact on how our town looks and feels, and I know it’s something residents and visitors alike want to see tackled.”  

“This investment will allow us not only to carry out a deep clean in key areas, but also to encourage longer-term behaviour change so we can keep our streets looking their best.” 

“It’s a great example of partnership working [and] delivering real benefits for the community, and I hope we can build on this success in other parts of Fife.”