1. A New Application for Used
Chewing Gum

2. Doesn’t chewing gum just dissolve away?
• Unfortunately, our chewing gum is not completely
biodegradable
– While the sweeteners and flavorings dissolve, the “gum
base” which it typically made of some type of elastomer,
resin or wax is not*
– Chewing gum can contain between 15-30% of gum base
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gum_base

3. What to do with used chewing gum?
• The fact it was already in someone’s mouth, stickiness
and inconsistency in the gum base ingredients makes
many uses undesirable
– Is it sanitary to make into a product?
– Does it have uniform structural properties?
– How can I determine exact base ingredients if gum is mixed
together?
• Let’s look for an application that would not
require any of the above to have answers in the
positive

4. Why not use chewing gum in landfills to
replace/augment chipped up tires?
• Chipped up tires are used to protect
and insulate landfill liners
– Used chewing gum would assist in
providing tearing and tensile protection to
these liners
– Would not burn with the same intensity of
chipped rubber if ignited
• Picture from Iowa City, IA landfill fire in May
2012 which burned from Memorial Day until
August causing $5M in damages
– Reused in a positive manner instead of
simply filling landfills