![]() ![]() It is a costly problem for local councils as it requires special equipment and can take significant staff hours to remove. When chewing gum is carelessly discarded, it can stick to surfaces, such as the pavements and roads, becoming highly resistant to removal. In order to completely remove the negative impact of chewing gum on the environment, in 1992, the Singaporean government officially legislated to ban the import as well as the local sale of chewing gum in Singapore, except for the medical type chewing gum that has medical advice to follow.īefore the ban was enacted, consumed gum would be found in various places: sidewalks, keyholes, and public transport seats, and it would cost at least S$150,000 to clean up the gum. In September 2021, chewing gum manufacturers Mars Wrigley, GlaxoSmithKline and the Italian-Dutch multinational company Buccaneer Van Melle signed an agreement to jointly fund £10 million over the next five years to clean up chewing gum on the streets, while working with Keep Britain Clean to encourage the public to change their gum-spitting habits through persuasion and education. In the UK, the annual cost of cleaning up gum on the street is more than £6 million. Such as vegetable oil, is added to chewing gum to keep the gum from being stiff when chewed.Īccording to the UK's Chewing Gum Action Group (CGAG), chewing gum is the second most littered item after cigarettes, with 85% of chewing gum found on streets containing plastics.Īs in many countries, gum stains are everywhere on the streets of the UK, and according to a survey by the environmental group Keep Britain Tidy, 87% of the streets in England alone are contaminated with gum stains. This is a chemical that helps create a mixture of flavors and colors and reduces stickiness.Ĥ. Polymers such as polyvinyl acetate, and other materials that make up the "gum base" to make the chewing gum elastic.ģ. To make the chewing gum has the right weight.Ģ. Such as talcum powder and calcium carbonate. Nowadays, most chewing gums are made from polymers and synthetic materials, which aren't biodegradable. The shortage of sugar gum also led gum manufacturers to look for new alternatives, and in the 1960s synthetic rubber gum was invented, which is how modern gum came to be. Wrigley then shifted its focus to chewing gum manufacturing and sales.Īt the height of the gum boom, the average American ate 105 pieces of gum a year, but its popularity also caused some environmental damage: in Mexico, nearly a quarter of the sapodilla trees ( a fruit tree) were cut down and in the streets of New York, nearly 84,000 pieces of gum were spit on the 25 blocks of New York's Fifth Avenue every day. Wrigley's main business in the early 1900s was not chewing gum, and when they marketed their products to users and included a piece of gum, they didn't expect the little giveaway to be very popular. Mars Wrigley (Wrigley) is one of the most famous gum brands in the world, and it was also the first company to make chewing gum popular. ![]() Traditional gums made from organic materials such as tree sap, like the ancient Greeks used, are biodegradable. It's important to note that not all chewing gum is created equal. ![]() Today's gums are made up of synthetic materials that do not break down easily in the environment. However, the gum that we chew today is vastly different from its ancient counterparts. However, chewing gum is not one of them.Ĭhewing gum has been around for thousands of years, with archaeological evidence indicating that it was first created in ancient Greece. There are many things that are considered biodegradable, such as food waste, paper, and cardboard. Biodegradability is the ability of matter to break down naturally through biological processes into substances that are not harmful to the environment. In this blog post, we'll explore whether chewing gum is biodegradable and the effects it has on our planet.įirst of all, it's important to understand what biodegradable means. Chewing gum is not biodegradable, and when it's carelessly discarded, it can take years to decompose, leaving a long-lasting negative impact on the environment. When it comes to chewing gum, a common myth that often circulates is that it's biodegradable.
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