First you should know that gum is sticky and not only sticky but it is insoluble.
Although some might think that gum will dissolve in water but this is not the case because gum will never disintegrate and all this means that your gum is highly likely to clog your pipes.
There are only few stuff that should pass through your toilet pipes and they are your poo, cough, your urine and your toilet paper etc but for gum? Hell no just spite it out in a tiny tissue paper, wrap it up and throw it into your trash
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Why you should never flush down gum down the toilet
You should never flush gum down your toilet because you run a major risk of blocking the free flow of water and other materials along the pipes. Gum are sticky and will likely hang along the pipe which are likely going to interfere with the proper functioning of the sewage system.
Most people find it very convenient to flush gums into their toilet, in fact this is the most easiest ways people find to dispose gum. Well if you are doing this please know that this us not recommended because you might create a big mess in your plumbing system.
What happens if you flush chewing gum down the toilet?
Now, when you flush gum into your toilet; Because of it sticky nature, the gum is likely to stick along the side of the pipes which will easily attract other particles like hair and even toilet paper that should have easily been flushed out but will get caught up . All this joined together are likely to cause sewage backup.
To prevent plumbing issues and also safe your self stress in the future it is best you throw that gum into your trash bin
Will one stick of gum completely clog a toilet?
One stick of gum might not completely clog your toile but if it hangs along the drain depending it size it could attract and hold up other particles like hair, oil, etc and thereby forming one big fatbergs
Is Gum Biodegradable?
This is one question to ask before throwing your gum into the toilet. Well gum are non biodegradable and are likely to remain intact in water for years to come.
In fact it is believed that it will take gum 50 years or more before it will start breaking down. Also it will take not less than 500 years or more before final decomposition will take place. All this is because gum aren’t just made with stuff that dissolves in water rather they are plastic that repel water.
Does water dissolve gum?
First question to ask is: does plastic dissolve in water? We all know that plastic dont dissolve in water and are likely to stay for decades to come.
Gum are just like plastic because they are made of the same materials in fact gums are made of polymers this is the same material use to make plastic.
Whenever you are chewing that gum, just know that you are just chewing plastic mixed with sweeteners and various flavoring
Being a hydrophobic material means that gum will repeal water and will never dissolve in water. If it is possible for gum to dissolve in water then our saliva should have easily dissolve chewing gum in our mouth
How long does it take for gum to decompose in water?
No one knows how long it will take gum to dissolve in water being plastic it could take hundreds of years or even thousands of years.
First we should understand that gum are resistant to decomposition, even when exposed to water the decomposition process is extremely slow this is why you should never throw your gum into the water bodies or into your toilet because at the end of the day they will find their way in to water bodies and are likely to be a problem for the ecosystem and marine life.
Most companies making gum now understand the huge environmental impact of gum and are now making biodegradable gum that won’t cause a mess to our ecosystem.
How do you dispose gum?
When you want to dispose your gum the best way to dispose it is through the garbage bin. Don’t attempt throwing your gum into the toilet.
Which bin does chewing gum go in?
Gum are difficult to recycle so it won’t be nice to dispose it to green organics bin rather they should be disposed into a non composite trash
What should be disposed in to your green organics bin are your vegetables, protein products like meat, fish etc and diary products like cheese but you should not put gum into this type of trash.
What to Do if Gum is Clogging the Toilet
The right thing to do when gum is clogging your toilet is to look for ways to get it out the way of free flow of water. First, you can do this your self then if you fail you can bring in an expert to help.
Make use of a high-grade plunger to plunge the toilet which will dislodge anything that is blocking the free flow of water.
Another way to get that gum out is by making use of At-Home Cleaning Solutions such as baking soda, hot water ( please be mindful not to melt your pipe) or even vinegar.
Final Thoughts
No matter how tempting it is or how lazy you are please don’t throw your gum in to your toilet. Not only gums but other items like feminine products, hair, baby wipes etc should be properly disposed otherwise you could clog your toilet entirely or you end up with a slow flushing toilet altogether unless you are ready to spend money calling a professional to help safe the situation at the end of the day.