If you know how hard chewing gum is to remove from a shoe, imagine how hard it is to clean off the footpaths. Local Governments spend a fortune on the scourge with each council spending $9,000 a year to get rid of the non biodegradable mess.
In response to the issue, Woollahra in New South Wales has introduced a new gumbuster machine to remove gum from footpaths in its commercial areas.
According to Mayor Geoff Rundle traditional methods such as bore water blasting were not enough to rid unsightly chewing gum from its streets.
“Most people think of gum as a soft, pleasant tasting treat but the truth is when it hits our footpath and stays there, it becomes a much more sinister menace to society,” he said.
Woollahra Council’s new gumbuster uses high temperature, low pressure dry steam to remove gum. The gumbuster unit is a small, fully enclosed unit that uses a non toxic chemical and a small brush to disintegrate the gum and leave the footpath unmarked.
