đ Turning Street Waste into Style: Shoes Made from Chewing Gum
The Sticky Problem of Chewing Gum Chewing gum is one of the most underestimated pollutants in modern cities. Every year, billions of pieces are discarded carelessly, sticking to pavements, benches, and public transport floors. Unlike organic waste, gum is made from synthetic polymers that don’t biodegrade. This means every piece of gum can linger for decades, creating a sticky mess that costs municipalities millions in cleaning efforts. For example, London spends an estimated £50 million annually just to scrape gum off its streets. Multiply that across global cities, and you realize gum isn’t just a nuisance — it’s a hidden environmental burden. The Birth of Gum‑Tec To tackle this problem, innovators developed Gum‑Tec , a patented process that collects discarded gum, cleans it, and transforms it into a rubber‑like compound. Instead of ending up in landfills or stuck under shoes, gum waste is reborn as a durable material. The idea is simple yet revolutionary: Collection : Gum is scrape...