Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to increase recycling of chewing gum.

Defra, in partnership with Keep Britain Tidy and chewing gum producers, have established the Chewing Gum Task Force through which gum producers will take greater responsibility for the litter and staining caused by their products. Gum producers will be investing up to £10 million over five years to help tackle the issue. As part of the programme of works the Task Force will look at ways of supporting innovation and sharing latest research, which might include recycling of chewing gum.