Dear Betty: Reader Request 4/5/2019 Chewing Gum

Dear Betty,

Can you please write an article about chewing gum?  I don't think it's good for the environment since it's banned in Singapore.  Love your blog!

Thanks,

Emma

Dear Emma,

Thank you for your request and thank you for reading the blog, I'm glad you are enjoying it. 

Betty

I don't like gum.  It hurts my jaw and I think it loses its flavor too fast.  I've never been much of a gum chewer and I've never understood how some people can chew it for hours. 

I thought that gum could be composted until I received this request.  I've been having my kids put their gum in the compost bin.  That's going to be freaking gross to deal with in the spring! [Insert the sound of a heavy sigh.] 

So can chewing gum be composted?  Yes-ish and mostly no.  Most chewing gum is made from a synthetic polymer, or plastic, known as polyisobutylene.  Synthetic polymers never breakdown or degrade, since, well, it's plastic after all!  If you were able to find a chewing gum that is made from chicle, a natural rubbery latex, that comes from sapodilla trees, you could compost that, in theory.  I say "in theory" because it is still rubber and it would take forever and a day to biodegrade. 

Polyisobutylene is also used as an engine lubricant and adhesive.  It is the sticky substance that covered birds after the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. 

Chewing gum can be recycled.  Some areas have gum collection bins and TerraCycle offers containers just for this purpose.  Gum can be recycled into everything from rubber containers, drainage and construction materials, to children's toys. 

Chewing gum is the second most littered item after cigarette butts.  It is estimated that 80 to 90 percent of gum is not disposed of properly which leads to pollution and harm to animals and marine life.  In a single year, people chew enough gum to create 250,000 tons of waste. 

For many of these reasons, chewing gum was officially banned in Singapore in 1992.  In 2004 amendments went into effect that allowed people to chew gum if they had a prescription from their medical doctor or dentist.

Rev7 is a chewing gum made from a variation of polymers with additives that help it degrade in water or over several months time in dry areas.  It has been banned in the U.S. since 2012 due to licensing issues.  I'm not sure that chewing this gum is any better for you and I think the packaging sucks as much as any other gum.

There you have it, Emma.  Not only is chewing gum (and the packaging) bad for the environment, it doesn't seem to be good for you either.

Do you have a question, comment, or suggestion?

I'd love to hear from you!

Email me at Mrs.Stebber@gmail.com or comment on the blog

Wrigley's gives lasting enjoyment and benefit, 1928.