Chewing Gum… Everywhere!

19 September 2019

Chewing gum is the second most common form of litter in the world, behind cigarette butts.

Sadly, we’ve become so used to seeing gum stuck to various surfaces in our cities. In the UK, it’s estimated that 90% of street pavers have a piece of gum stuck to them!

Unfortunately, this type of pollution can have many negative effects on your business. Therefore, we offer professional chewing gum removal services at Sydney Sweep and Scrub.

Before we discuss your needs however, here is a little more information about the effects of chewing gum.

Chewing Gum – The Details

The facts and figures on chewing gum make for sobering reading:

  • Much of it is not biodegradable. The gum that is biodegradable can take about 5 years to break down.
  • Humans can’t digest it.
  • The chewing gum industry is worth about $30 billion.
  • 100,000 tons of gum are made each year.
  • 80-90% of chewing gum isn’t disposed of into a bin.

Essentially all gum is plastic pollution and the money spent on cleaning gum from surfaces all around the world is immense.

However, measures are now being taken to reduce the impact of gum.

Reducing the Impact of Chewing Gum

Action is now being taken across the world to reduce the impact of chewing gum on the environment and our cities.

Singapore famously banned chewing gum entirely in 1992 in its bid for perfection. It certainly improved the look of the city, and saved millions in cleaning costs.

Gumdrop in the UK is recycling gum from the streets and turning it into further receptacles specifically for used gum, and they’ve made a big impact since starting out. They’re also making other products from the recycled plastic.

Some companies are creating organic gum that breaks down far more quickly than normal chewing gum, to reduce the effect of gum on the eco-system.

But these measures don’t solve the issue of the gum already stuck to surfaces all throughout Sydney, and most other cities.

Removing Chewing Gum

This is where we come into the picture.

At Sydney Sweep and Scrub, we use our rigorously tested methods and expertise to remove chewing gum from hard surfaces.

It’s so important that you use an experienced contractor for chewing gum removal. If you don’t, it could result in your surface being damaged and further damage done to the environment.

We use environmentally friendly methods, and assure that the gum is disposed of responsibly once removed.

The Benefits of Removing Chewing Gum

There are many benefits to having us remove unsightly chewing gum from your surface.

They include:

  • Better presentation for your business, and therefore a better reputation.
  • Environmentally friendly methods.
  • We reduce the impact the gum has on the environment by ensuring this waste ends up exactly where it should – in landfill.
  • People will be further deterred from littering if your floors are clean of other gum.
  • Protect wildlife that may inadvertently consume the gum.

Contact Sydney Sweep and Scrub on 02 9114 9062 or fill in a form online here.