Government
London’s Colorful Battle Against Gum-Covered Sidewalks
Another skirmish in the war against those gross, black splotches.
The Chewing Gum Action Group (CGAG) has had enough. The organization says discarded gum removed last year from London’s well-trafficked Oxford, Regent, and Bond Streets amounted to 86,000 square meters of guck.
Stepping on fresh gum is bad enough, but watching ancient, blackened gum ground into the sidewalks of a lively part of town is downright depressing. According to one estimate, local councils spend an astounding £56 million (nearly $87 million) cleaning up the “horrible mess” each year.