A BRITISH COMPANY has launched a new line of chewing gum to the Irish market – claiming to have solved chewing gum’s chronic contribution to littering.
Revolymer’s gum, Rev 7, is available in Ireland from this month.
The gum, which has been on sale in the United States since 2010, is said to be fully degradable and can be easily cleaned from street surfaces with water.
Makers say it can also be removed from clothes using only soap and water.
Widespread takeup of the gum could solve a chronic litter problem in Irish towns: Dublin City Council spends an estimated €400,000 per year removing chewing gum from streets and pavements, with an estimated 180,000 pieces of gum removed from Grafton Street in one month alone.
“The amount of taxpayer money that is spent on reducing the build-up of chewing gum on Irish streets is money that could be much better spent elsewhere,” said Revolymer chief executive Roger Pettman.
Revolymer is only one of a number of bodies worldwide to have conducted research into non-sticky versions of chewing gum.
UCC lecturer Professor Elke Arendt developed a gluten-free substitute for chewing gum in 2011, with UCC taking out a patent on her creation – which is not sticky at all, and which would not stick to the ground if disposed of.
Arendt’s product was also fully biodegradable, meaning it would dissolve fully if chewed for about 45 minutes.
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