Nothing beats a tasty piece of chewing gum: it’s fun to munch on, it helps to freshen your breath and best of all, you can blow bubbles. However, it has become increasingly apparent that the extensive chewing gum habit of people across the globe is having tragic effects on our environment. With Singaporean fines on chewing gum, it’s good to know that biodegradable gum could have the nation masticating again – and here’s why.
It saves lives
The most significant issue associated with the consumption of conventional gum is the impact it has on wildlife. Sadly, regular chewing gum contributes to the death of thousands of animals across the globe every year. After you have finished a piece of gum, it may seem easy to toss it out of your car window and give it no further thought. However, the animals whose paths cross with this discarded wad of gum are impacted forever. Many animal rescuers report finding birds who have become entangled with old gum. This inhibits their ability to fly and thus they cannot eat and end up dying from starvation. Another common issue is with small rodents like mice and shrews. When they eat the gum, it becomes entangled in their intestines, leading to a slow and painful death. Fortunately, biodegradable gum eliminates all of these issues. Due to the degradable nature of this treat, it does not stick to animals and if it is consumed, it passes through their systems without causing any significant issues. So now you get to enjoy your piece of gum to clean your palate after, for example, a rich Italian meal.
It won’t clog up our oceans and landfills
Chewing gum is one of the biggest culprits in the formation of the floating islands of trash that have become all too common. Due to the sticky nature of this substance, it causes other pieces of trash to clump to it, leading to large compacted pieces of waste that are very difficult to disperse. The traditional variety of this confectionary is also prone to staying in landfills for a very long time, which inevitably leads to the release of more greenhouse gases that destroy the atmosphere. Biodegradable gum eliminates this issue entirely. Instead of throwing it away in the regular trash, you can add it to your compost heap without any issues. If it does end up in a landfill, this gum won’t lead to the problematic clumping issue. Instead, as it degrades, the gum causes waste to dispense evenly throughout the landfill. This makes it much easier to reduce the amount of trash in these areas.
Biodegradable gum reduces consumer guilt
After you switch to biodegradable chewing gum you are unlikely to go back to the old version. It gives you the opportunity to enjoy this timeless treat without having to worry about the impact of your indulgence. Not only does this type of gum reduce the environmental impact as well as the effect that it has on wildlife but it also improves sustainability as a whole. The plastics that are used to create gum are serious contributors to the greenhouse gases in our environment. These could also potentially be harmful to your health. Although you are only ingesting microscopic amounts at any one time, the impact over an extended period could be significant. However, when you make the change to biodegradable gum, you won’t be contributing to the number of gases that are released during production and you are protecting your health by reducing the overall amount of plastic you ingest.