Chewing gum producers have signed up to a ￡10 million task force to remove the sticky scourge from our high streets. The cash pledge by Mars Wrigley, GlaxoSmithKline and Italian-Dutch multinational company Perfetti Van Melle will help tackle the gum litter that costs ￡7 million a year to remove from pavements.

口香糖生产商玛氏箭牌、葛兰素史克以及意荷跨国公司不凡帝范梅勒已签署协议，在未来五年内共同出资1000万英镑，成立"口香糖工作组"，以清理英国大街上黏稠的口香糖。清理人行道上的口香糖垃圾每年要耗资700万英镑。

Working with Keep Britain Tidy, the firms will invest the money over the next five years to encourage people to bin it instead.

几家公司将与环保机构"保持英国清洁"合作，将"清理费"用于鼓励人们把口香糖垃圾扔进垃圾桶。

Around 87% of England's streets are stained by chewing gum waste, according to Keep Britain Tidy.

根据该机构调查，目前仅英格兰地区被口香糖污染的街道就高达87%。

Pilot tests have shown that gum litter can be reduced by up to 64% when people are asked to change their behavior.

初步试验显示，当人们被要求改变做法时，口香糖垃圾可减少多达64%。

Littering is a criminal offence, and offenders face on-the-spot penalties of ￡150, rising to up to ￡2,500 if convicted in court.

在英国，乱扔垃圾是一种刑事犯罪行为，违规者可被当场罚款150英镑，如果在法庭上被定罪，将面临高达2500英镑的罚款。