British train operating company Greater Anglia introduced special cleaning machines to remove chewing gums from station platforms. The devices nicknamed as gum busters are used to clean stations four times a year.

Greater Anglia involved special contractor for cleaning stations – Carlisle Support Services. The company uses six machines to clear up the stations on the operator network in the East of England. “The introduction of the Gum Buster machines continues our focus on implementing innovative solutions to our valued client. It is great to see that they have made visual improvements to the cleanliness standards across the network”, Carlisle Support Services contract manager Alex Orr said.

Work details

The gum busters consist of a box filled with a mixture of water and detergent as well as a nozzle with a hose. The water and detergent are heated to steam remnants of chewing gums. A machine operator uses the nozzle to get rid of the gums. It needs just three seconds to brush away the remains of the gum.

“Chewing gum might keep your breath fresh and your teeth sparkling clean, but if it is dropped onto the ground at our stations, it makes a horrible mess. The gum busters do a great job of clearing up dried up gum and making our stations look spick and span again”, Greater Anglia Asset management director Simone Bailey noted. He also emphasised that his company respectfully asks customers not to throw gums on the ground and to use the bins at the stations.