Most types of chewing gum sold in stores are made from various synthetic rubbers derived from petroleum, similar to the plastics used in car tires.
“If this thought makes you a bit uneasy, you’re not alone,” says David Joyce, a researcher at the University of Portsmouth in the UK. Dr. Joyce is one of the few voices actively raising public awareness about this source of plastic pollution.
Overall, the scientist has been studying environmental pollution for over 15 years. The people he speaks with often feel disgusted when they learn they’ve been chewing on a piece of plastic.
Gum manufacturers typically don’t advertise what their products are actually made of. In fact, there’s no strict definition for the synthetic base of chewing gum. Some brands even manage to promote its use as “beneficial for oral health,” collaborating with dentists around the world.
Meanwhile, chemical analyses of gum have revealed that it contains styrene-butadiene (a strong synthetic chemical used in making car tires), polyethylene (the plastic used for bags and bottles), and polyvinyl acetate (wood glue), not to mention sweeteners and flavorings.
Why Is It Beneficial to Hide the Truth About Chewing Gum?
The chewing gum industry is a massive business, valued at $48.68 billion. Reliable statistics on gum production are scarce. However, some authoritative experts claim that approximately 1.74 trillion pieces of gum are produced worldwide each year.
According to David Joyce’s calculations, that amounts to 2.436 million tons of product. About 30 percent of that weight (730,000 tons) is attributed to the synthetic base.
Like other types of plastic, used synthetic chewing gum does not decompose and can persist in the environment for many years. There, it hardens, cracks, and breaks down into microplastics. Cleaning up this pollution is not cheap, as it requires significant labor, as reported by Science Alert.
How Is Society Addressing the Problem?
Some countries, including the UK, have been among the first to recognize the dangers of chewing gum. Now, public places even feature containers for collecting used gum, produced in the Netherlands. (The key is to encourage those who simply spit their gum on the ground to use them instead.)
In some British streets, signs have been posted urging responsible waste disposal. Additionally, there’s a growing number of small manufacturers offering alternative plant-based gum options.
However, as with single-use plastic items, the issue of gum pollution needs to be tackled comprehensively: through education, reducing emissions, innovation, manufacturer accountability, and regulatory legislation.
Informing people about what chewing gum really is will help reduce its consumption and improve the disposal of used products. More transparent labeling on packaging will allow consumers to make more informed choices. Implementing stricter regulations will hold manufacturers accountable for plastic pollution. And funds from taxes on synthetic resin could be allocated to environmental initiatives.
Thus, chewing gum represents yet another source of plastic pollution. It’s time to treat it accordingly.