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“No act of kindness no matter how small is ever wasted.” - Aesop
When we often think of environmental damage, we imagine plastic bags floating in ocean surfaces or icky smog covering most of the view in our beautiful cities. What we don’t normally associate with the term is chewing gum. Chewing gum is considered to be the world’s second most common type of litter, second only to cigarette butts.
Modern-day gum is made from a petroleum-based product known as synthetic plastic in order to preserve its iconic flavors and textures. Due to the plastic material which they are made of, most chewing gums are not biodegradable. According to Recycle Nation, the world chews up 560,000 tons of gum yearly. Around half of that amount ends up as waste.
Spit up gum often ends up permanently stuck to concrete, ruining the cleanliness of the streets and the image of a city. Removing it is a tiring and arduous process. JustOneOcean explains a 2000 UK study where approximately 250,000 pieces of gum were found stuck on Oxford Street, with a 2015 report claiming the cost to clean up gum from the UK streets was £56 million.
Gum pollution has gotten so bad that Singapore has put in place a gum ban since 1992. This unique law was placed after the bombardment of gum deposits from on residential mailboxes to door switches. Gum litter was especially damaging to Singapore’s Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) systems, where vandals put gum in transit doors. The doors could not properly close and it was costly to clean up the mess.
The ban outlaws the usage, distribution, and advertising of gum. It has become less strict over time, providing exceptions for medical usage and merely illegalizing the importation and selling of gum rather than the chewing of it. Those who violated the ban were fined around $500 USD and assigned community service.
While we may not be able to fully get rid of gum, we can try to reduce much of our consumption or try better alternatives. The first gum was not made of synthetic polymers but rather chicle, a type of tree sap. By reverting to natural, organic gum brands, we can help end the perpetual onslaught of gum pollution. If organic gum is not a possible option for you, please wrap your chewed gum in its original wrapper and dispose of it in a trash can. While it may end up in the landfill, it is much better than ending up on the streets or in our waterways.