I’ve been chewing this over for some time, and feel that Friday is the proper day for spitting forth whatever tomfoolery is left in my head after a long week: I propose we spit our chewing gum into the street when finished with it.
I haven’t conducted a focus group on this, so I have no idea what sort of vitriol may soon be coming my way. But here’s my thinking:
Everything we consume — aluminum foil, socks, chewing gum — eventually reaches the end of its “useful life.” Then an object’s “disposal life” begins. This can be an environmentally expensive stage.
Aluminum foil, if recycled, requires heap-big energy to transport, then re-melt. Socks are carted off to an incinerator, where the wool or nylon calories left in them will help to burn less-burnable stuff like bones and aluminum foil. Or they go to the landfill.
What is gum’s fate? Chewing gum can’t really be considered “biodegradable.” Go ahead and put some in your compost bin. Hit me back in a few years.
But it certainly contains some carbonaceous material — modern chewing gum is typically about one-third synthetic rubber. That’s energy waiting to be released. But gum is bulked up with inorganic chalk or talc (powdered rocks) which have even less burnability than aluminum foil. Does a piece of chewing gum “pay for itself” to be burned? Or do incinerators have to add fossil fuel to subsidize its destruction? Don’t know.
Do know that a little chunk of the planet’s minerals and oils went into making that lump of gum. In terms of durability, the ingredients amount to a squishy version of vinyl tile. And there is a lot of service left in that little lump when its flavor is gone. Why not do the planet the honor of using those minerals and oils completely, instead of discarding them?
You know from walking around the world that gum on cement or tar lasts an approximate eon. It’s my hypothesis that gum extends the life of the pavement, incrementally decreasing our use of more planet-parts to replace that pavement. That’s a hypothesis. The Argyle Guy warns me that gum patches may merely transfer wear and tear to the area around it.
I say the only way to find out is to try it. I’ve been doing my part. Never on sidewalks, never on crosswalks, but on busy streets where filthy tires will quickly paste my gum over a little patch of tar.
Are you with me, or against me? Go ahead — spit it out.
Hey, that would make a nice gum-pavement campaign slogan.
Art: Seattle’s “Gum Wall,” Victor Grigas.
I’m with you! I”ve been spitting my gum into the street for years too making the assumption that it just becomes part of the pavement … or a cars tire, but so what?! NEVER on the sidewalk or crosswalk and never too close to the edge, where cyclist ride.
Phew, so glad to have this technique of mine get some validation!
Alright, I’ll spit it in the street from now on, rather than into a bush or lawn. Come to think of it there are hunks of chewing gum in my compost and thus in my garden…thanks for your thoughts, always insightful!
Why don’t you just quit that icky habit? Ever think of that?
Monica is such a hater.