Dear Rt Hon Steve Reed OBE MP
As Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs - We need your support.
Regular chewing gum is a single-use plastic.
In the UK, approximately four billion pieces of plastic gum are consumed annually. This is equivalent to four billion plastic straws. Each day, Brits collectively chew and discard the equivalent of a bus full of plastic gum.
Microplastics have been found in human blood, brains, and even breast milk. Plastic toxins have been linked to some of our most concerning health issues, including cancer, diabetes, and infertility. Given this, it is troubling to think that the vast majority of consumers are unknowingly chewing plastic.
87% of UK pavements are littered with plastic gum, which costs taxpayers millions of pounds every year to clean up. Even when disposed of responsibly, gum is either sent to landfill, incinerated or ends up contaminating our waterways. It is time to take action to protect both public health and the environment.
Single-use plastic straws and vapes are banned, so we're calling on your Government to ban the sale of plastic chewing gum in the UK for the good of the British public and our planet.
A movement of the UK’s leading plastic campaigners and charities are demanding change and support an open letter (viewable at https://www.citytosea.org.uk/chew-plants-not-plastic/) sent to you on the 12th February 2025.
Supporters include:
Jane Martin, CEO, City to Sea
Dr. Charlotte Davies, Managing Director, Common Seas
Jo Royle, Founder, Common Seas
Amy Meek & ella Meek, Co-Founders, Kids Against Plastic
Sian Sutherland, Co-Founder, Plastic Health Council, Create Plastic Free & A Plastic Planet
Maria Westerbos, Founder & Director, Plastic Soup Foundation
Daniel Webb, Founder & Director, Everyday Plastic
Rebecca Prince-Ruiz, Founder & Executive Director, Plastic Free July
A Cohort of over 900 Plastic Clever Schools
The evidence against plastic chewing gum is overwhelming so we urge your UK Government to take decisive action and put an end to this hidden and pervasive form of single-use plastic.
