Latest news with #chewinggum
BBC News
9 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Chewing gum task force gives council £25k to clean up streets
A local authority has received a £25k grant to help clean up its chewing gum-stained Borough Council in Surrey was awarded the money from the Chewing Gum Task Force, which is funded by major gum to Keep Britain Tidy, which runs the task force project, the annual gum clean-up cost for UK councils is around £7m, with about 77% of England's streets and 99% of its retail sites affected by the sticky Whyte, chair of the council's environment and sustainability committee, called it, "a small change with a big impact". Runnymede is one of 52 local authorities across England which successfully applied for a grant this in the borough will see targeted cleaning in key areas such as Guildford Street in Chertsey, Station Road in Addlestone and Egham High said: "We're pleased to take visible action against a type of litter that blights our high streets and public spaces."This funding allows us to invest in deep cleaning and local campaigns that not only improve the look and feel of our town centres but also encourage responsible behaviour."As part of the campaign, new gum removal equipment is being introduced and grounds maintenance staff are receiving specialist training to ensure the work is carried out effectively and safely. A low impact, eco-friendly steam method will also be used to avoid damaging paved surfaces, including sensitive historic stonework.
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Wyre Forest gets £27k to remove littered gum from streets
A district council has received £27,500 to remove chewing gum from its Forest District councillor Ben Brookes said the funding meant the council could "get to work cleaning up and, just as importantly, help remind people to bin their gum rather than drop it".Keep Britain Tidy said the cost of cleaning up chewing gum was estimated at £7m a project, named the Chewing Gum Task Force, has been funded by a £10m investment from gum manufacturers, spread over five years. It has awarded 54 councils grants totalling £1.585 million, which could help clean an estimated 500,000m2 of of Wolverhampton Council had been awarded a grant of £20, Ogden-Newton OBE, Keep Britain Tidy's chief executive, said: "Chewing gum continues to be an unsightly form of litter in our public spaces. "People need to remember that disposing irresponsibly of their gum causes harm to our environment as it takes years to decompose naturally - and, ultimately, costs the public purse to clean it up."Brookes added that clearing up the gum would "make a big difference to how our district looks and feels". Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
4 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Heckmondwike and Marsden gum problem targeted by £26k grant
Efforts to tackle the problem of chewing gum stuck to pavements in two West Yorkshire towns have been boosted with the award of a £26,450 clean-up money from the Chewing Gum Task Force would be spent on a one-off deep clean in Heckmondwike and Marsden town centres, according to Kirklees task force was established by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and is run by the Keep Britain Tidy charity, but is funded by chewing gum manufacturers. Last year, a total of 16,503 pieces of gum litter were removed from streets in Huddersfield and Dewsbury following a £25,500 investment from the task force. Kirklees Council is one of 52 local authorities across the country which successfully applied for a grant this year to help efforts to clean chewing gum off pavements. 'Think twice' Councillor Tyler Hawkins, cabinet member for highways and waste, said: "We are delighted to have been awarded further funding to help us tackle the problem of gum litter across our towns and villages in Kirklees."Removing chewing gum litter will get these areas looking their best and complement our ongoing programme of regeneration work within our town centres. "With this clean-up and new signage, we hope it will make potential litterbugs think twice and help keep our home tidy."According to Keep Britain Tidy, about 77% of England's streets and 99% of retail sites are stained with gum, while estimates have suggested the annual cost to UK councils of cleaning up chewing gum litter is about £ Ogden-Newton, Keep Britain Tidy's chief executive, said: "People need to remember that disposing irresponsibly of their gum causes harm to our environment as it takes years to decompose naturally – and, ultimately, costs the public purse to clean it up."Figures from Behaviour Change – a not-for-profit social enterprise – have shown that in areas which benefited from the first and second year of Chewing Gum Task Force funding, gum littering dropped by up to 80% in the first two months, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reductions were still being observed six months after targeted street cleansing and the installation of specially designed signage to encourage people to bin their gum. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Funds to remove 'thoughtless discarded' gum from Wolverhampton's streets
"Thoughtlessly discarded gum is unpleasant, unsightly and unacceptable. It has a negative effect on the local environment and is very difficult to remove."Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal's thoughts on gum came as it was announced Wolverhampton has been given more than £20,000 to remove chewing gum from its Britain Tidy said more than three quarters of UK streets are blighted by chewing gum, costing councils an estimated £7m to clean up each money could be used to purchase jet washer-style equipmment to remove gum from streets, as well as signage encouraging gum-chewers to bin it when finished. "Our Street Scene teams work tirelessly to make our streets welcoming to residents and visitors alike and this extra funding will boost their efforts in tackling the problem of thoughtlessly discarded gum," Gakhal, cabinet member for resident services, of Wolverhampton Council has been awarded a grant of £20,155 from the Chewing Gum Task Force (CGTF), run by Keep Britain Tidy and funded by major chewing gum is one of 52 authorities across the country to have successfully applied in the latest round of funding. Keep Britain Tidy said last year, an area the equivalent of 400 Olympic-sized swimming pools was rid of gum thanks to the funding, and littering was reduced by an estimated 68% two months after measures had been implemented."Chewing gum continues to be an unsightly form of litter in our public spaces," said the charity's chief executive, Alison Ogden-Newton OBE."People need to remember that disposing irresponsibly of their gum causes harm to our environment as it takes years to decompose naturally and ultimately costs the public purse to clean it up." Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
CNET
23-05-2025
- Health
- CNET
Top 10 Foods Contaminated With Microplastics. Here's How to Avoid Them
Microplastics have just been found to be in our chewing gum. Researchers at UCLA discovered that microplastics are released directly into our mouths every time we chew gum. In a new study published in Chemistry for Life, scientists tested 10 different chewing gum brands and found microplastics in each one. Both natural and synthetic varieties were shown to shed microscopic plastic particles during chewing. On average, each gram of gum releases around 100 microplastics, with some pieces spiking as high as 600. This adds to growing concern about how much plastic we unknowingly consume. Past research estimates that the average person takes in between 39,000 and 52,000 microplastic particles each year just from food and drink, and that figure climbs to over 120,000 when airborne particles are included. To get a clearer picture of how this affects your health, we spoke with a family physician about what counts as a "safe" level of microplastic intake, which foods are the biggest offenders and what steps you can take right now to reduce your exposure. Read more: Microplastics Are Hiding in Your Kitchen. Here's How to Spot Them How many microplastics are too many? "There is no officially established 'safe' or 'unsafe' level of microplastic intake. It makes sense to want your exposure to be as low as possible," Dr. Joseph Mercola, a board-certified family medicine osteopathic physician, said in an email. Microplastics can enter our food due to contamination where the food was grown, raised or processed. Mercola explained that using plastic mulch and plastic seed coatings in agriculture, and irrigation with contaminated water, are among the various ways microplastics can end up in food. Plastic packaging, utensils and containers are additional sources. According to the US Food and Drug Administration, current evidence doesn't suggest that the levels of microplastics in food are a risk to us. However, you still might want to minimize how much microplastics you passively consume. These are the most common foods that contain microplastics, and the measures you can adopt to reduce your plastic intake. Top 10 foods in your diet that contain microplastics Seafood One of the most significant ways plastic particles end up in our food is through single-use plastics that break down and find their way into waterways and soil. When they reach the oceans, they end up in our seafood. "Microplastics are then taken up by plankton and mistaken for food by fish and shellfish," Mercola said. "The tiny particles accumulate in the flesh ... then end up on our plates." A recent study published by Portland State University discovered a variety of microplastics in 180 out of 182 tested seafood samples. Microfibers are the most common type of microplastic present, but this isn't the only type that ends up in our bags A plastic called polypropylene is often used to make tea bags, and even if you choose paper tea bags, there can still be microplastics in them. The issue is that when the bags contact hot water, microplastics may be released into your tea. Researchers at the Autonomous University of Barcelona discovered that polypropylene tea bags can release plastic particles in the billions, and nylon and cellulose tea bags can release them in the millions. How to avoid it: You don't have to stop drinking tea. Switch to loose-leaf tea and invest in a stainless steel diffuser to enjoy your tea free of microplastics. Rice Rice is also a hot spot for microplastics. A University of Queensland study found that for every half cup of rice, there are 3 to 4 milligrams of plastic. If you use instant rice packets, that number is four times higher, at 13 milligrams. How to avoid it: The study found that washing your rice can reduce plastic contamination by 20% to 40%, though it's worth noting that the study used filtered water for rinsing. Salt and sugar When you top off your dinner with a sprinkling of salt, you're getting an unintentional side of microplastics. It's hard to outrun salt. It's in almost everything we eat, and our bodies need a certain amount of sodium to keep our fluids and electrolytes balanced. One study found that 90% of the 39 sampled salt brands worldwide contained microplastics. This likely results from environmental contamination and the production and packaging process, which includes plastic. Microplastics have also been found in sugar. How to avoid it: To reduce your exposure to microplastics in your salt and sugar, you can buy them packaged in glass or water Bottled water is one of the most well-known sources of micro and nanoplastics. One study estimated that there are about 240,000 plastic particulates in a liter of bottled water. Most plastic water bottles you buy at the store are made from polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, plastic, so it wasn't surprising to see it represented. Plastic particles break apart when bottles are squeezed or exposed to heat. And PET plastic isn't the only type of nanoplastic researchers have found in plastic water bottles. How to avoid it: Drinking tap water from a stainless steel or glass container can reduce your risk of ingesting plastic particles. Honey You might not expect your honey to harbor microplastics, but it does, even if it's in a glass jar. Microplastic fibers can be traced back to bees and pollution. One study exploring whether microplastics ingested or carried by honeybees were then incorporated into hives found that bees can continue the dispersal of microplastics through honey. How to avoid it: Buying honey from local beekeepers who often use more natural and sustainable harvesting methods may reduce the risk of microplastic contamination. Fruits and veggies Vegetables and fruits are an essential part of a balanced diet. They can also contain microplastics. One study that sampled fruit and vegetables found that apples were the most contaminated fruit and carrots were the most contaminated vegetable. How does this happen? "Plants have been shown to uptake micro- and nanoplastics from soil through their root systems, thereby contaminating the edible portions," Mercola said. Many grocery stores also package fruit and vegetables in plastic to keep them fresh. According to the FDA, there isn't enough evidence to determine that microplastics from plastic food packaging migrate into food. But Mercola suggests you avoid it as much as you can anyway. How to avoid it: Wash your fruit thoroughly, peel when possible and opt for local or organic produce. Animaflora/Getty Images Proteins A recent study from researchers at the Ocean Conservancy found that 88% of vegetable and animal proteins contain some level of microplastics. But highly processed proteins, like plant-based alternatives, fish sticks or chicken nuggets, harbor the most microplastics, suggesting the microplastic contamination partly comes from food processing. The study found that breaded shrimp had an average of 300 microplastic pieces per serving. Plant-based nuggets had 100 pieces per serving. Food processing isn't the only way microplastics can get into these protein sources. Microplastics are in animal feeds and in the environments where animals are raised. Plant-based alternatives can be contaminated through the soil or irrigation. How to avoid it: After reading that, you may be wondering what protein you should eat. The reality is that more research is needed to know the exact levels and their impact on our health. Our bodies need protein to function, so getting enough is important, no matter which source you choose. Read more: An Easy Protein Visual Guide to Help You Reach Maximum Muscle Gains What do microplastics in food mean for you? So, do all foods contain microplastics? I can't say for sure. I can tell you, however, that more research is needed to understand just how eating foods with microplastics affects us. Still, though the long-term health effects remain under investigation, microplastics are something to watch out for and guard against if you can, as Mercola explained. "Ingested microplastics have been found to accumulate in the circulatory system and various organs, including the brain, where they can cause inflammation and tissue damage," said Mercola. Other potential side effects are hormonal imbalances caused by the endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in plastics. Microplastics can also absorb other environmental toxins and introduce them into the body. There's no established safe level of microplastics, and we can't completely outrun them: They're everywhere and in everything. But it's a good idea to minimize exposure where you can. Expert tips for reducing your intake of microplastics You can cut down by following this advice: Be careful how much shellfish you eat Shellfish like mussels, oysters and scallops have higher levels of microplastics, so don't overdo it. Avoid food-storage containers made of plastic This is one of Mercola's biggest suggestions because of the "plasticizing chemicals" in plastic. BPA and phthalates are endocrine-disrupting chemicals that can transfer from plastic to food. They're fat-soluble, so this happens most easily with fatty foods. It's best to store foods with fat in glass containers, but you can store dry foods in plastic if you need to. Avoid plastic-wrapped foods This can be easier said than done, but it's something to strive for in areas where you can switch. Get rid of plastic kitchen utensils From the spoons we use to stir our sauces to the cutting boards we use to chop our vegetables, if they're plastic, you're ingesting microplastics. A good rule of thumb is: Anything plastic that comes in contact with your food should be swapped out for ceramic, glass, stainless steel or wood. To help address the overall issue of microplastics in food, you can install a filter in your clothes-washing machine. If you can afford it, a special filter will catch microfibers before they pollute water systems. The PlanetCare 2.0 microfiber filter starts at $125. We still have a lot to learn about microplastics and their long-term implications for our health when ingested. It might be hard to hear they're in so many of our foods, but that shouldn't deter you from eating well. A balanced diet of protein, fruit and vegetables will ensure your body has enough fuel to function and thrive -- microplastics or not.
