Gum Litter

Chewing gum – it’s good for your teeth, is cheap to buy and so small that it’s easy to think that throwing it on the ground behind you when it’s lost its taste. Unfortunately due to the amount of gum that hits our pavements (not to mention park benches, train and bus seats) every year, it’s a huge environmental problem. Consider the following:

• On Princes Street, Edinburgh, it’s estimated that around half a million pieces are dropped a year
• On average, around the UK there are 35 pieces of gum stuck on every square metre of pavement!
• Nine out of ten city paving stones have had gum stuck to them
• That’s used gum that doesn’t just get stuck on our pavements but also, if you’re unlucky, on your clothes, shoes, bags, and even in your hair!

Is it litter?

Part of the problem is that while most people don’t throw their gum on to the road, those who do it don't consider chewing gum to be litter, which is why studies show the very places that have the most gum litter are the places we all love to go to – restaurants, shops, cinemas and bars! So the next time you’re out with friends, or even stepping outside your front door, take a look at exactly what you’re walking on. It’s likely the pavement is speckled with a multitude of grey and black blobs, all of which have fallen out of someone’s mouth.

Why clean it?

The grubbiness factor aside, gum litter is an environmental issue, because it isn’t biodegradable so it can build up and make areas look neglected – see the article on pride in your community. Councils in Britain may spend as much as £150 million each year cleaning it up. That’s money being taken from other local services that you could use, like parks, sports facilities and youth centres, and being put into power jet washing, cryogenics (freezing the gum off) and manual scraping – where some poor person literally has to pull gum off the pavements!

So the next time you see a friend stick a blob of used gum on a park bench, under some railings or throw some into the bushes or even just drop a used piece on the road without thinking, do where you live a favour, stop and think about:

• How horrible you would feel if someone else’s used gum got stuck to your trainers or on your jeans.
• That wrapping the gum if you aren’t near a bin in a bus ticket, shop receipt, tissue etc. is a better option.
• That used gum won’t kill anyone, but throwing it on the ground will make where you live look grim, ugly and potentially harm wildlife!