Bright pink chewing gum bins criticised in Bath

Heritage campaigners have criticised a decision to install bright pink bins for used chewing gum in Bath.

The Gumdrop bins are designed to stop people dropping gum on the streets, but the Bath Preservation Trust said the six bins were installed without consultation.

It said "better thought" needed to be given to the bins in an "important historic setting such as Bath".

Bath BID, which installed them, said they would help keep streets clean.

Bath Preservation Trust's Joanna Robinson said: "We generally welcome anything that improves public space and the environment.

"However, better thought needs to be given to this type of initiative in important historic settings such as Bath, a Unesco World Heritage Site."

She said they would have been better installed on the side of bins rather than tied to lampposts as the places most littered by gum were around bins.

Bath BID said the Gumdrop bins could not be attached to the solar-powered "smart" bins in the city centre, and added the newly-installed bins were smaller and less conspicuous than seen in promotional photos.

Chief executive Allison Herbert said the six chewing gum bins installed in Bath "offer a great way to improve the cleanliness of our streets, save money and help the city become more eco-friendly".

A spokesperson for suppliers Gumdrop Ltd said the bins were a "trademark pink colour" and designed to be recognisable so people knew to leave gum in them.

Gumdrop Ltd recycles all gum collected into polymers that can be used in the rubber and plastics industry.

The bins themselves are also made from recycled gum.

They are also installed in cities such as Bristol, Glasgow and areas of London.