374 Billion sticks of chewing gum are produced world wide each year. As the majority of these are made from plastic they cause big problems for the environment regardless of if they are thrown on the street or in the bin. Biodegradable alternatives are available and should replace plastic gum.
You may be interested in these active petitions
I would like the government to ban the sale of chewing / bubble gum that contains plastic - forcing big brands to change their products and allowing the UK to clean up it's streets. It is estimated that it costs councils £60million a year to remove chewing gum from the streets of the UK - this is money that should and could easily be used elsewhere.