What is chewing gum made of? What exactly am I chewing here?
Its is estimated that over 374 trillion sticks of chewing gum are produced each year, with over 100’000 tonnes of gum being consumed worldwide. That’s one heck of big sticky lump of used chewing gum disappearing somewhere into our environment on an annual basis!
But have you ever stopped to think about whats actually in that rubbery feeling substance that we just pop into our mouths on a daily basis, or why that gum seems to literally ‘stick’ around forever on the pavements and sidewalks?
So lets now have a look at answering the question.. Is gum biodegradable? And if not, then is gum really made from plastic and where can I get plastic-free gum?
Chewing gum ingredients: A quick history of gum.
Chewing gum first developed in the United states from an American Indian custom of chewing on sweetened tree resin. As the custom was taken on by western civilisation, this resin was replaced by a natural form of rubber called Chicle. However, as the popularity of gum increased in the 1960s, this rubber was replaced with a synthetic version which was cheaper to manufacture and is still used in most chewing gums today.
Most modern chewing gums have what’s known as a gum base which makes up the majority of the chewing gum. This synthetic rubbery substance is commonly made from ingredients including:
- Butadiene-styrene rubber Isobutylene-isoprene copolymer (butyl rubber)
- Paraffin (via the Fischer-Tropsch process)
- Petroleum wax
- Polyethylene
- Polyisobutylene
- Polyvinyl acetate
This synthetic plastic/rubber gum base is mixed with sweeteners and flavourings to make up regular chewing gum as we know it. Ingredients such as Polyethylene and Polyvinyl acetate are both common forms of plastic. Polyethylene is found in items such as plastic bottles and food containers, and Polyvinyl acetate is used in glues and adhesives. More info on the manufacture of chewing gum can be found on Wikipedia.
Short of time? Follow this link to find NATURAL GUM WITHOUT PLASTIC!
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Does gum biodegrade after its been chewed?
So now we know that chewing gum is made up of a type of synthetic plastic rubber, will it biodegrade after we have chewed it? In a word NO! or not for a very long time.
Chewing gum being made up of mostly plastic will, like many other plastics, take a very long time to completely break down. How long? Well nobody really knows, but we could be talking thousands of years. That’s a long time to be hanging around in the environment with the possibility of causing problems to wildlife both on the land and in our oceans.
What problems are caused by discarded gum?
The amount of gum which is not being disposed of in the correct manner, by namely throwing it into the garbage can, is estimated at being around 80% to 90% of all the gum being consumed. So with 100’000 tonnes per year being chewed that’s up to 90’000 tones going straight into the environment!
As many people don’t even realise that most chewing gums are made from plastic, then even people who are environmentally concerned and would never dream of throwing away litter wouldn’t think twice about spitting out their gum discreetly in the grass at the side of the road or burying it in the sand on the beach. Obviously this discarded gum can go on to be eaten by animals or get into the food chain as it slowly breaks down.
Another main problem associated with gum which is non-biodegradable is when people discard their gum on the floor of cities, cinemas, theatres, historic buildings, sports stadiums and music venues. Here it soon forms a bond with whatever it sticks to and proves to be extremely hard to remove. In the city of Dublin in Ireland alone it was estimated to have cost the council around 250’000 Euros to clean the city of discarded gum, And that’s just the gum from the pavements and hard surfaces.
Chewing gum litter became such a problem in the country of Singapore that they actually banned chewing gum sales in 1992. This was held in place until 2004 and was eventually revised to allow the sale of chewing gum for health reasons only. Strict rules on the sale of gum currently remain in place today.
Ok so there's plastic in gum, but is there a natural plastic free gum I can chew which doesn't cause pollution?
Well its good news! There are a few companies out there who are either still making natural gum, or are new companies making natural biodegradable plastic free gum.
These environmentally friendly gums have a gum base made from a natural product which is harvested from trees in Mesoamerica called ‘Chicle’. When Chewed and discarded it will soon dry and turn into a natural harmless powder.
If people switched to these natural forms of plastic free gum then it would stop the problems associated with the regular discarded gum in our towns and city’s as well as reduce the amount of plastic waste which is causing such damage to wildlife and our environment.
The best natural biodegradable gum and plastic free chewing gum alternatives.
Lets have a look at these greener brands of chewing gum and where we can buy them. The ingredients they use and the packaging they come in tend to vary, however most have a natural gum base made from Chicle.
We have listed Simply Gum and Humble Co Gum as our top 2 favourites because as as well as being all natural biodegradable gum they also have plastic-free packaging! Below are some of our favourite brands and links to where you can buy them in the UK and USA, click the links to read more product details and reviews on Amazon.
Unlike conventional gum brands, Simply Gum uses all natural ingredients without ANY synthetics. That means no plastic base, no aspartame, and no BHT.
Simply Gum is non GMO certified and kosher certified. It is also vegan and nut-free, soy-free, and palm-free. They use only steam distilled essential oils and extracts, that are non GMO certified, they also never use artificial flavourings or colouring’s!
For those who don’t like sugar alcohols, then their gum is for you! They do use sugar, but its the dried cane juice, which is the least refined sugar available. Also and most importantly, as they only use natural ingredients (including a plastic-free base), their chewing gum is biodegradable and better for the planet!
2. The Humble Co. - Natural chewing gum
This Chewing gum from The Humble Co. is brought to you by dentists who care about your oral health, our environment and children in need of oral care. Every Humble purchase goes towards funding oral health projects for children in need. All natural ingredients, Non-GMO, Vegan, Biodegradable, No aspartame, Nothing artificial, No plastic gum base, No oil-derived substances, Sugar-Free and low-calorie count!
Chicza claim to be the “Worlds First Organic Chewing Gum!” Aspartame Free! Sustainable & Fully Biodegradable, by supporting Chicza, you’ll make a direct contribution to the conservation of the Mayan rain-forest. Certified Organic, Vegan, Kosher, Gluten free, non-GMO, Dairy free, Nut free, Soy free and Fair Trade!
From the summer of 2015 Glee Gum has gone completely plastic free! as stated on their website below…
“For nearly two decades, Glee Gum has been one of the only gums made in North America with a gum base that contains chicle. But, while our gum base has always contained chicle, it wasn’t always possible for us to eliminate synthetic materials entirely from it. In the past, we needed both natural chicle and food-grade, synthetic resins to achieve a good and gummy texture, and for the gum base to work in a large-scale production run. That is, until 2015!
After years of research, we were so excited to debut our new gum base recipe in the summer of 2015. And, we remain proud of it today. It’s 100% natural, made predominantly of chicle with just three additional, natural ingredients: calcium carbonate, candelilla wax, and a pinch of dehydrated citrus peels. We have transitioned all of our Glee Gum flavors to this new gum base. (You can find the new gum base in our Glee Gum Pops as well). We’ve also rolled out a brand new look, with the gum base ingredients listed right on the label.”
5. Chewsy - All Natural Chewing Gum
A new brand of natural gum from the UK!
“Chewsy was born after learning that the regular chewing gum you see on the supermarket shelves is filled with a lot artificial stuff including aspartame, acesulfame-k, BHT, and a plastic gum base. And that’s just to name a few.
We ditched all the gross, health-harming, chemically-modified stuff that you usually find in gum and made ridiculously healthy and tasty gum from nature and nature only. We are honest. We are clean. We are truly the very best alternative to artificial gum. We love it, we think you will too!”
From the Chewsy Gum website.
