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Special squads have been set up to remove chewing gum from footpaths and flyers from walls and light posts in a $95 million territory-wide clean-up campaign.

More than 1,000 workers have been hired for the one-year drive. The squads are part of the government's job creation programme.

In March, the government awarded a contract for the hiring of workers to remove the eyesore gum and posters, which have been accumulating over the years.  The campaign mirrors clean-ups in cities such as Beijing, where one newspaper estimated there were hundreds of thousands of pieces of gum stuck to Tiananmen Square.

A regulation was introduced last month imposing a 20 yuan (HK$19) to 50 yuan fine for people caught dropping chewing gum in public places. Beijing officials said it cost about one yuan to remove each piece of gum.

Singapore has banned chewing gum since 1992. There is no restriction in Hong Kong, although spitting in public places is covered by the new $600 fixed penalty for littering.

Kevin Choi, head of the government's Clean Hong Kong Office, said the territory faced a similar gum problem to many other cities.

He said entrances to MTR stations and convenience stores and areas near public refuse bins were the main troublespots.

'It seems that many people spit the gum out before taking the MTR or buying drinks in convenience stores. Unfortunately, even when some people try to throw the gum in a bin, they often turn out to be a poor shot,' Mr Choi said.

The job is difficult and labour-intensive. Workers use chemicals and hot water jets to soften the stains before removing them with small spades.

The government spent another $30 million last November to hire 400 workers to crack down on bill-posting.

During the first 10 months of this year, five million posters were removed.

There were 557 prosecutions against people who affixed the posters and companies which benefited from them. It compared to only 179 prosecutions last year. The average fine ranged from $1,000 to $9,500.

'Posters are everywhere in busy areas. They are placed outside banks once they close. The new trend is smaller posters so they can be easily put on light posts and bus-stop signs,' Mr Choi said.

Posters publicising nightclubs are a major problem in Mongkok and Yau Ma Tei.

Meanwhile, the government is conducting a survey to evaluate the effectiveness of the new fixed littering penalty introduced in May.

Mr Choi said cleaning workers found most of the streets cleaner and the number of littering summonses issued daily has dropped from 65 to 42 since the law came into force.



$95m to rid streets of chewing gum, posters