Your chewing gum may have some of the same ingredients as plastic grocery bags and tires, but a U.K. campaign aims to put a stop to this.
What’s happening?
Environmental nonprofit City to Sea is teaming up with plastic-free gum company Nuud to raise awareness about the plastic ingredients found in most chewing gums. Talking Retail highlighted the quest, reporting that the U.K. consumes around 4 billion pieces of plastic gum annually, which it says is equal to about 4 billion plastic straws.
The organization is pushing for the government to ban plastic chewing gum and wants to expose what it calls a misleading labeling of ingredients such as polyethylene, which is commonly used in plastic bags, and butadiene-styrene rubber, which is used in car tires.
“Every chew is like biting into a plastic straw,” said City to Sea CEO Jane Martin.
Why is this advocacy important?
According to Talking Retail, 12 tons of this gum are discarded annually in the U.K., ending up on sidewalks and in landfills and waterways. The publication adds that the country shells out millions of pounds every year to remove gum from pavement.
However, the problem is global in scope. GreenSeas Trust, an organization working to eliminate plastic pollution in seas and coastal areas, estimates that chewing gum contributes more than 110,000 tons of plastic pollution annually. It says that this waste exacerbates our microplastic problem, threatening humans and wildlife.
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Exposure to microplastics has been tied to heart damage and kidney disease, among other health problems.
“Plastic pollution isn’t just an environmental crisis—it’s a human health emergency,” Martin said, per Talking Retail.
What’s being done about the plastics problem?
A number of companies offer plastic-free gum. For instance, Simply Gum, a U.S.-based brand, offers gum made from tree sap.
Meanwhile, we can all do our part to help with the plastic plague by cutting down on single-use plastics.
The problem may seem overwhelming, but some companies are taking action to help cut down on plastic pollution. For instance, McDonald’s U.K. banned all plastic cutlery, and some startups are making recyclable plastic out of more eco-conscious ingredients such as food waste and plant cells.
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