Councillors are to discuss how to tackle the sticky problem of chewing gum in Renfrewshire.


Officers from the council are calculating the cost involved in scraping gum off streets.


The issue was originally raised at a Renfrewshire Council meeting in June, as elected members agreed to ask the UK Government to introduce a levy on manufacturers of the product.


Councillor Stephen Burns described figures from Zero Waste Scotland, which revealed the average piece of gum costs 3p to buy but £1.50 to clean up, as ‘alarming’.


It was recommended the council’s director of environment and communities bring a report to elected members on August 29 to explain the methods used in Renfrewshire and the associated cost.


Councillor Burns, who represents Paisley Southwest, said: “The council do have the equipment to do it but it’s the man hours spent on doing it. They clean it and it comes back.”


Other local authorities have tried to tackle the issue by handing out gum-disposal pouches to people.