Chewing gum, once spat out, does not dissolve easily in the environment, contrary to a common belief. This misconception leads many people to dispose of gum improperly, such as under tables or on sidewalks. In France, each person chews approximately 500 grams of chewing gum annually, making the country the second-largest consumer of chewing gum globally, behind the United States. In Bordeaux, the company KeeNat has installed about twenty collection points called "Freegum" to address the issue of discarded gum. These collection points are part of an initiative to recycle used chewing gum into new plastic material. Modern chewing gum is primarily made from synthetic rubber derived from petroleum, rather than natural tree gum. A single piece of gum can take between three to ten years to degrade in an urban environment, and up to twenty-five years in a marine environment, contributing to ocean plastic pollution. The synthetic rubber used in chewing gum is a petroleum derivative designed to provide a soft and durable texture in the mouth, making it chemically similar to plastic. KeeNat's initiative, launched in 2020 as part of the Grand Project for the Right Bank Cities, has received support from the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region and the ADEME. The company previously developed the ÉcoMégot program for recycling cigarette butts since 2016. The collected chewing gum is transported by bicycle to minimize environmental impact and is then cleaned and processed in a laboratory to be transformed into reusable plastic material, similar to the British startup Gumdrop, which recycles chewing gum into shoe soles. According to Sandrine Polipré, the associate general director of KeeNat, chewing gum contributes up to 100,000 tons of plastic found in oceans annually. This waste is often overlooked due to its small size, leading to its accumulation in urban areas and waterways. Cleaning discarded gum from sidewalks often requires high-pressure water, which can carry residues into gutters, sewers, and eventually into oceans. The initiative in Bordeaux aims to prevent the problem rather than address it after the fact, promoting the use of dedicated bins for gum disposal instead of costly municipal cleaning efforts. The project highlights the broader environmental impact of seemingly insignificant daily habits, raising questions about how many such gestures contribute to environmental degradation without being noticed. A simple change in behavior, such as disposing of gum in a trash can rather than on the ground, could significantly reduce its environmental impact.