Hundreds of tonnes of plastic air pollution might be escaping into the atmosphere yearly … from our mouths. Most chewing gum on sale is constituted of quite a lot of oil-based artificial rubbers – just like the plastic materials utilized in automotive tyres.
When you discover that thought barely unsettling, you aren’t alone. I’ve been researching and talking in regards to the plastic air pollution downside for 15 years. The folks I discuss to are at all times shocked, and disgusted, after they discover out they’ve been chewing on a lump of malleable plastic. Most producers simply don’t promote what gum is definitely product of – they dodge across the element by itemizing “gum base” within the elements.
There’s no strict definition of artificial gum base. Chewing gum model, Wrigley Additional companions with dental professionals world wide to advertise using sugar-free chewing gum to enhance oral well being.
The model’s Wrigley Oral Well being Program states that: “Gum base places the “chew” in chewing gum, binding all of the elements collectively for a clean, gentle texture. We use artificial gum base supplies for a constant and secure base that gives longer-lasting flavour, improved texture, and decreased tackiness.“
It virtually sounds innocent. However chemical evaluation reveals that gum comprises styrene-butadiene (the sturdy artificial chemical used to make automotive tyres), polyethylene (the plastic used to make service baggage and bottles) and polyvinyl acetate (woodglue) in addition to some sweetener and flavouring.
The chewing gum business is large enterprise, value an estimated US$48.68 billion (£37.7 billion) in 2025. Three corporations personal 75% of the market share, the biggest of which is Wrigley, with an estimated 35%. There are few dependable statistics accessible in regards to the quantity of gum being produced, however one peer-reviewed world estimate states 1.74 trillion items are made per yr.
I examined a number of sorts of gum and located that the commonest weight of a person piece of gum is 1.4g – that signifies that globally, a staggering 2.436 million tonnes of gum are produced every year. A couple of third (30%) of that weight, or simply over 730,000 tonnes, is artificial gum base.
If the thought of chewing plastic isn’t disturbing sufficient, take into account what occurs after you spit it out. Most individuals have skilled discarded gum beneath bench seats, college desks and on road pavements. However, like different plastics, artificial chewing gum doesn’t biodegrade and might persist within the atmosphere for a few years.
Within the atmosphere it should harden, crack and breakdown into microplastics however this can take a long time. Cleansing it up just isn’t low cost as a result of it’s labour intensive. The common value is £1.50 per sq. metre and estimates counsel that the annual clean-up value for chewing gum air pollution for councils within the UK is round £7 million.
There have been some efforts to handle the issue. In lots of public places across the UK, gum assortment pots provided by Dutch firm Gumdrop Ltd have been put in to gather and recycle used gum. Signage offered by councils encouraging accountable disposal can be now an everyday function in some UK excessive streets, and there’s a rising variety of small producers providing plant-based options.
Within the UK, the environmental charity Hold Britain Tidy launched the chewing gum activity pressure in 2021. This collaboration includes three main producers who’ve dedicated to investing as much as £10 million to be able to clear up “historic gum staining and altering behaviour in order that extra folks bin their gum”.
Learn extra:
Automobile tyres shed 1 / 4 of all microplastics within the atmosphere – pressing motion is required
However, right here lies the crux of the problem.
The primary goal implies that cleansing up gum is an answer to this type of plastic air pollution; it isn’t. Producers making a monetary contribution to clean-up efforts is like plastic producers paying for litter pickers and bin baggage at volunteer seashore cleans. Neither addresses the foundation reason for the issue.
Kathy deWitt / Alamy Inventory Picture
Binning gum just isn’t the answer both. Addressing gum as a plastic pollutant dictates that the prevention of gum air pollution ought to embrace the well-known tenets, like all plastic air pollution, of cut back, reuse, recycle and redesign. It isn’t solely a disposal subject.
One other subject that I’ve uncovered is definition. Within the two annual experiences revealed by the gum litter activity pressure since its inception, there isn’t any point out of the phrase air pollution. The excellence between litter and air pollution is vital. By calling it chewing gum air pollution, the narrative modifications from a person negligence subject to a company one. That locations an onus for accountability onto the producers somewhat than the shoppers.
Single-use options
Like single-use plastic gadgets, chewing gum air pollution must be tackled from all angles – training, discount, options, innovation, producer accountability, and laws.
Educating folks in regards to the contents of gum and the environmental penalties these elements have will cut back consumption and encourage higher disposal habits. Extra clear labelling on packaging would empower consumers to make knowledgeable decisions. Stricter rules can maintain producers to account – a levy tax on artificial gum might help pay for clear ups. In flip, this could incentivise extra funding in plant-based gums and different sustainable options.
We are able to all cut back the environmental penalties of this plastic air pollution by kicking the gum behavior, calling on councils to implement stricter air pollution penalties and inspiring governments to place a tax levy on producers to fund clear ups and pressure them to record the contents of gum base.
Throwing away any non-disposable, inorganic merchandise is unsustainable. Chewing gum air pollution is simply one other type of plastic air pollution. It’s time we begin treating it as such.
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