Environmental Consequences of the Production of Chewing Gum

The average person, according to Planet Green, chews over 300 sticks of gum every year. Chewing gum has become an enormous littering problem and negatively affects the environment. Because of its non-biodegradable nature, gum does not dissolve or decompose and each piece left untreated lingers around for decades. Due to the rising costs of cleaning up gum litter, some governments, such as in Singapore, have banned the purchase of chewing gum altogether.

Litter Problem

• With people carelessly throwing their gum on the sidewalk and sticking it under desks and on walls, gum litter is becoming a grave problem for sanitation departments around the world. Because the gum does not decompose, it remains wherever it's stuck for a number of years. Governments are forced to use taxpayer money to rid the streets of gum that is not properly disposed.

Chemical Removal

• To remove each piece of gum one-by-one is an impossibility. As a result, certain pesticide like chemicals are used to clean up gum-riddled pavement. These pesticides release an unpleasant odor into the air. The government is forced to clean in this way, as it is the most efficient mechanism.

Animals and Ocean Life are Affected

• Many bird deaths occur from digestion of gum left in the environment. Swallowing gum is harmful to humans and even worse for birds. Furthermore, the treatment of gum with chemicals to sterilize bacteria that forms from chewing, leads to the chemicals in rain water that ends up in gutters, sewers and finally, in our oceans.