Skip to content

Is there a dark side to this popular treat?

Trying to answer some age-old schoolyard questions, a group of documentary filmmakers came to some much more disturbing conclusions.

Trying to answer some age-old schoolyard questions, a group of documentary filmmakers came to some much more disturbing conclusions.

Dark Side of the Chew is a documentary airing tonight on TVO which explores the impact of chewing gum on our bodies, economy and the environment.

Tobin Long, who co-wrote and produced the film, said as they looked more into the subject, the more the questions and answers became scarier.

“Gum is one of those things that no one has studied because no one sees it as a problem,” said Long.

“What I understand is, it may be the world’s second most common form of litter,” he added.

The television premiere was intentionally scheduled to air today, being Earth Day.

Sault Ste. Marie city councillor Susan Myers agrees chewing gum waste can take away from enjoinment of public spaces.

You don't have to look very far to find gum that has been spit out on a city sidewalk or stuck to public furniture.

“Why should my irresponsible choice of putting bubble gum under a bench take away your enjoyment?” she asks rhetorically.

Myers is chair of the city’s graffiti committee, which she said includes any activity that impacts public furniture, including chewing gum waste.

The chewing gum of today is no longer a natural product.

Long said most gum is petroleum-based and contains artificial sweeteners and flavouring.

Although the myth of gum lasting years in your belly if you swallow it is not true (it actually passes through your digestive system like most other food), Long said the product does not biodegrade.

“Because it’s plastic, to break down to it’s basic components, carbon polymers, you’re talking hundreds of years, if not thousands,” he said.

This causes a problem for many municipalities, some spending tens of millions of dollars to clean chewing gum from their public spaces.

The act of cleaning gum waste often adds to the overall carbon footprint created by the bite-sized blobs, often involving high-pressure washers, often mixed with a cleaning agent.

“The easiest way to get rid of gum is to wrap it up in it’s wrapper and put it in the waste bin but a lot of people don’t do that. As soon as you spit it out you’re adding to the cost of cleaning up that gum,” said Long.

The documentary explored where gum ends up after being washed from sidewalks, which is often down storm sewers and eventually into our waterways.

“People eat lake fish. You have to wonder what those fish eat. They are consuming plastic,” he said, adding this aspect is explored in detail in the doc.

Chewing gum waste is similar to cigarette butts, in that it is a product used for a few minutes and then carelessly thrown away.

Myers would like to see people take more civic pride by not creating the waste in the first place or cleaning it when they see it.

That interest in city beautification is the impetus for the city’s 20-Minute Makeover program, which is now in it’s fourth year.

Residents are encouraged to register for the event which runs May 12, and spend at least 20 minutes picking up litter or removing graffiti.

Myers is especially encouraged by the participation of school-aged children in the makeover.

I think kids are far more aware than what we give them credit for. Children take in the world around them much better than we do. It’s their world,” she said.

Dark Side of the Chew airs tonight on TVO at 9 p.m. and again at 12 a.m.


What's next?


If you would like to apply to become a Verified reader Verified Commenter, please fill out this form.




Kenneth Armstrong

About the Author: Kenneth Armstrong

Kenneth Armstrong is a news reporter and photojournalist who regularly covers municipal government, business and politics and photographs events, sports and features.
Read more