Green Gum That Doesn't Stick

Insync

oi-Staff

By Staff

Tuesday, March 31, 2009, 17:44

Was your mom mad at you today for coming back home with a chewing gum glued to the shirt? Well, time for you to say, "cheese". A U.S.based manufacturing firm, Consorcio Chiclero, has come with the first ever biodegradable chewing gum, which they claim to be completely environment friendly.

The gum, which is been named as Chicza Rainforest Gum, differs quite a lot from its other counterparts. The most of all being its nonsticky ability. Yes, you heard it right. The gum, Chicza Rainforest, has a unique feature: come what may, it doesn't stick to clothes. So, what is the secret that goes behind the making of these gums? Well, the answer, too, seems simple. It's been made from the natural gum, which is been extracted from the sap of the chicle tree, which is then further used to make the gum.

The absence of the petrochemicals also helps in its nonsticky ability. Manufacturers claims that the chewing gum, if disposed, will crumble to dust in about six weeks, dissolving harmlessly in water or being absorbed into the soil.

At a time like this when the local authorities spends some 200,000 pounds – an estimation by the The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – on clearing gums from different parts of the state, it, for sure, gives some fresh air of hope that in future the government and the local authorities might have to spend less on the removal process. If one goes with figures, it takes 17 weeks for conventional chewing gums to be removed from the entire length of Oxford Street in London.

Whilst the same can be littered with gums in mere 10 days. Westminster city council in London, which has one of the
highest cleanup bills, is backing the new product.

A spokesman for Encams, which runs the 'Keep Britain Tidy' campaign, said, "While we welcome any product that could potentially alleviate the worst problems of staining, the real solution remains with people". "They should put their gum into bin, or at least in a piece of paper or tissue."

When it comes to the taste of Chicza, people need not have to worry a lot. The gum is readily available in lime, mint and spearmint flavors, and is going on sale at 1.39 pounds a packet.