| Chewing gum is a problem Fact: Next to cigarette butts,
dropping chewing gum is the single most environmentally damaging and costly
littering practice that is preventable.
Fact:
Gum Dropping costs Councils 150 Million pounds a year to clean up... and that's
in just the high profile areas.
Fact: Gum is virtually indestructible
and non bio-degradable. It can be recycled but only when used in aggregate.
Fact: Gum can reduce the life of a carpet in public areas from 20
years to just 1 year. Cinema Foyers, Pubs, Leisure Centres, Hotels, Stadiums
and Public Building lobby's are the most effected.
Fact:
Chewing Gum is the prime reason for blockages of pipes in urinals costing
hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of remedial work every year.
Fact: Gum thrown in a normal waste
bin that is sent to landfill can last up to 200 years. Chewing Gum put in a
bin designed for gum can be easily separated & recycled.
Fact: Gum flushed down the toilet does end up on our beaches.
Fact: Gum does kill our wildlife. |
Should it be banned?
Well many people think so and it has been banned in some places such as
Singapore, However, Gum does have some therapeutic effect and considering
the large volumes of gum chewed the side effects to health are fairly
insignificant and minor especially when you factor in that chewing often
replaces smoking and so has a related significant health benefit.
However something has to be
done about how it is disposed of when finished with because;
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A large City will have to deal
with a million pieces of discarded Gum by Gum droppers every year
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The same city will spend up to
£200,000 per annum cleaning up bubble and chewing gum each year for what is
a losing battle
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It is estimated that a £50 fine
for gum dropping will cost three times that to enforce
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A Major City's
underground system is thought to spend around £2 Million each year to clean
up Carriages and Stations |
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