A n d r e w s G u m W o r l d

 Last Friday’s Hospitality Magazine website in Australia reviewed a biodegradable stain removal product, Lift Off, invented by chemist Gregg Motsenbocker for removing stains, including the ongoing challenge of discarded gum.

As the magazine notes, the product has no ammonia or solvent smell and “…it can be used on any surface without damaging or degrading the surface or the environment.”

There are three different varieties available, but when it comes to gum, it’s the second variety that you want:

Lift Off 2 removes oil and petroleum-based stains such as oil, grease, labels, chewing gum and candle wax, all of which will disappear from areas such as metal, plastic, wood, glass (labels), hair (chewing gum), carpet and fabric.

Upwards, Somewhere, originally uploaded by JohnnyBallgame.

While AndrewsGumWorld doesn’t often hear from the people we write about, we got a nice note yesterday from our friends at GumClear, who were featured in a post we wrote just over a month ago regarding their efforts in Kirkintilloch in Scotland to tackle the significant problem of disposed gum. Here’s what the note said:

Just spotted this article about the Kirkintilloch project we were involved with - it went very well.

We use an environmentally friendly removal technique that minimises the amount of water used and disruption to the locality. We also make sure our work is highly visible, hopefully helping to change people’s habits so the dispose of their gum responsibly.

As you may have read elsewhere in AndrewsGumWorld, we fully not only responsible gum use (as a reminder: in the mouth or in the garbage bin), but also the great work that companies like GumClear does to find environmentally friendly solutions to the problem of disposed gum. You can read more about their work on their informative site (including some great insights about the scope of this challenge), but here are some more details about why their approach is, indeed, environmentally friendly:

Problems with High Pressure Power Washing
Traditional high pressure power washing uses around 8 litres of water per minute, which can quickly flood an area and cause damage by dislodging the grout and sand in paving joints.

Power washing also tends to merely move the chewing gum to another area where it reforms and sticks to the surface again.

Specialist Gum Removal Equipment
The equipment used by Gum Clear has been specifically designed to remove gum from external surfaces and uses only 2 litres of water per hour, minimising the environmental impact of the cleaning process.

chewing gum tree, originally uploaded by me, i am zoe.

gum wrapper art, originally uploaded by william d. mack.

 The Basingstoke Gazette reported on Test Valley Borough Council’s efforts in Andover to cut the number of people spitting out their gum where it doesn’t belong, part of Britain’s and the Chewing Gum Action Group’s nation-wide efforts to reduce discarded gum on the pavements of the cities, towns and villages of that country.

To highlight the need in Andover (which last year spent 15 days and £13,500 [US$24,000+] removing gum from its streets), the Council set up a “grime scene” to make its point.

Here’s how it worked:

On Monday two demonstrations aimed at showing people the effect of gum being left on pavements were set up in Andover High Street.

A grime scene’ - where each piece of gum was marked with a ticket - aimed at showing people that dropping it was a fineable offence; while each blob of gum in an area of pavement near the Guildhall was highlighted and circled with chalk.

Gum Art #1, originally uploaded by Lex76.

 Today’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports on the purchase of GumBuster equipment by local businesses, and the transformation that’s come with that $9,000 investment (that’s Clean Sweep ambassador Mike Mitchell gum busting above).

Part of the article, “Sidewalk steamer renders gum gone,” (and it’s nice, it should be noted, to see alliteration instead of the usual gum pun) talks about the wonders (and biodegradable cleaning ingredients) of the process:

Powered by a portable generator, the GumBuster mixes steam and biodegradable detergent to erase these bottlecap-size blotches that long ago lost their flavor and were expectorated onto the sidewalk. It may be a myth that swallowed gum lasts seven years in your stomach, but it’s mighty resilient on concrete.

Like Bazooka Joe, Mitchell wields a 3-foot-long wand with a brush on the business end to zap each spot. It’s like they disappear, he said, sometimes emitting one last whiff of mint or cinnamon as their last gasp.

You’d swear most of these gum blobs are actually tar because they’re so dirty black. But hit ’em with a blast of 260 degrees and they return to their original color before bubbling into nothingness.

Gum as art, originally uploaded by kerfuffle & zeitgeist.

Market Street Photographer, originally uploaded by michaeln84.