FOI release

FOI Request – Chewing Gum Removal Costs, Area Covered, and External Funding (2019–2024)

Case reference FOI2025/00590

Received 31 July 2025

Published 26 August 2025

Request

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I would like to request the following information regarding chewing gum removal for the financial years 2019/20 to 2023/24 inclusive:

1. Chewing Gum Removal Costs

a. The total cost incurred by the council for chewing gum removal in each of these years.

2. Area Covered

a. If recorded, the approximate area cleaned (in square metres) for each year.

3. External Funding

a. Has the council received any external funding (e.g. from DEFRA or Keep Britain Tidy) specifically for chewing gum removal during this period?

b. If yes, please provide the amount received and year awarded.

If Cost Data Is Not Held Separately: If your authority does not hold chewing gum removal costs separately from general street cleansing budgets, please confirm:

1. Whether chewing gum removal is carried out at all, and

2. If so, whether it is delivered as part of broader cleansing operations. Format & Scope

Please provide the data in spreadsheet or tabular format if possible. If any part of this request is likely to exceed the FOI cost threshold, please advise on how it may be refined to stay within the limit.

Response

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I would like to request the following information regarding chewing gum removal for the financial years 2019/20 to 2023/24 inclusive:

1 Chewing Gum Removal Costs

a.     The total cost incurred by the council for chewing gum removal in each of these years. This information not retained.

2 Area Covered

a.     If recorded, the approximate area cleaned (in square metres) for each year. The cleansing team cover the whole of South Derbyshire

3 External Funding

a.     Has the council received any external funding (e.g. from DEFRA or Keep Britain Tidy) specifically for chewing gum removal during this period? No

a.     If yes, please provide the amount received and year awarded. N/A

If Cost Data Is Not Held Separately:

If your authority does not hold chewing gum removal costs separately from general street cleansing budgets, please confirm:

  1. Whether chewing gum removal is carried out at all. Wherever needed at request.

  2. If so, whether it is delivered as part of broader cleansing operations. Yes

Documents

There are no documents for this release.

This is South Derbyshire District Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.

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