It is quite common to walk down the street and find gum in the ground stuck, but we not only find them on the ground, but sometimes they can also be found in structures that are part of public roads, such as banks, traffic lights or walls. This is an aesthetic problem, but also hygienic and, above all, environmental.
Have you ever wondered How long does it take to degrade a gum? Continue reading this interesting ecology article in which the degradation time of a gum and other waste will be shown that can also be very polluting.
What are the gum made?
The Chewing gum ingredients or chewing rubber They are soluble and insoluble. On the one hand, there are the insoluble ingredients that are the base rubber and other components that provide the aroma. The rest of the ingredients are the soluble, that is, they dissolve in water and among them are the sweeteners, some flavors, the polyles, the sugar and the glucose syrup. Perhaps all the mentioned ingredients are known and we have ever read them in the labels of the containers of some food products, without a doubt the most complex ingredient in the gum is the base rubber.
The base rubber or base of the gum is a substance that contains nutrients, insoluble and inert, which as its name indicates as the basis for the edible and soluble part of the chewing gum, formed by the components that contribute to the taste and sugar. Therefore, the base rubber is formed by different raw materials that are classified from different types:
- Antioxidants: They are used to prevent the base rubber and the components to be oxidized.
- Elastomeres: they contribute to the elasticity of the rubber.
- Resins: They serve to soften and agglutinate the compound.
- Filling: Thanks to these, a better texture is achieved.
- Plasticizers: They help be a mixture resulting from the rubber to be homogeneous and softens the elastomer.
How long does a gum take away
Chewing gums have become an element that is part of our streets and infrastructure for consumer irresponsibility. Although it may seem that a gum has no impact on our environment, leaving them thrown anywhere (roads, meters, buses, walls …) has a visual impact, in addition to being harmful to hygiene and the environment. In addition, it is important to mention that cleaning to eliminate these chewing gums is an important economic investment, since specialized techniques and machinery are required.
The need to do this well done clean is because The gum takes to decompose between 3 and 5 years. If the gums are left glued, they can only bring problems such as those mentioned above. For example, it has been said that they cause hygiene problems because they attract large amounts of germs, according to some studies a single gum may contain up to 50,000 germs. Another important problem is that, more time passes the gum in the area that has been deposited, more degraded. Therefore, if the situation occurs in a natural environment in a short time that piece of soil is destroyed, apart from supposing a Danger for animals and plants.
Where to throw the gum?
All these impacts and problems mentioned could be solved with the simple gesture of Wrap the gum on paperonce you have finished chewing and depositing it in the paper or container closer, since these They cannot be recycled and they will have to go to a controlled waste landfill. You can learn about these in this other post about what the landfills, types and consequences are.
How long does other waste take degrade
It has already been shown how long it takes to break down a gum, then, we will talk about other waste degradation time.
- How long it takes to degrade An apple: An apple degrades thanks to the action of the decomponent organisms and environmental conditions, it can take up to 6 months to degrade.
- How long it takes to degrade The plastic: Depending on the type of plastic this can take from 150 years, which is the time that a plastic bag needs, up to 1000 years that takes a PET bottle to disappear. If you want to know more on this topic, here you can expand this information on how long it takes to degrade the plastic.
- How long it takes to degrade The paper: The paper basically for cellulose takes up to 1 year to degrade. Here you can discover more about how long it takes to degrade the paper.
- How long to degrade The glass: Glass is a very resistant material composed mainly of silica sand, this material is one that remains for a longer time in nature takes to degrade from 4000 years to more than 5000. In this link you will see more about how long it takes to degrade the glass.
- How long it takes to degrade A can: For a can to degrade in the environment, it needs a lot of rain and moisture to oxide completely and disappear. These take up to 10 years to disappear.
- How long to degrade A button: Between 1 and two years is the time you need a clue to degrade, these end up being the main pollutants of the water masses.
- How long it takes to degrade A battery: The batteries when they stop being useful must be taken to a clean point to be properly treated, since, if they are left in the middle, you are losing their protective role due to degradation, they release metals and end up contaminating the environment where they were thrown. A battery takes to decompose completely from 500 to 1000 years.
We also advise you to consult this other article with more complete information about how long the waste takes to degrade.
If you want to read more articles similar to How long does a gum takewe recommend that you enter our recycling and waste management category.
- Ávila, M. Cleaning of public roads. Elimination of chewing rubber remains from the road. Final degree work. Engineering degree of industrial technologies. 2014: 10-11.
