Gumnetic: Bubble Gum Bin & Memory Foam Made from Used Chewing Gums
by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain 
on 02. 5.08
This is some serious Cradle to Cradle design; a chewing gum bin that collects used gums to then turn this raw material into more bins. British designer Anna Bullus (we previously featured her disposable sugar mug) has invented this new material she calls Gumnetic, made from used chewing gums and bio resin. The first object created from Gumnetic is the Bubble Gum Bin. This sweet little object is upcycling bubble gum and turning it into a valuable raw material, potentially saving, in the UK alone, three and a half billion pieces of gum a year from going into landfill or worst, being stuck on the pavement. Nine out of ten city paving stones in Britain have had gum stuck to them, the removal of which takes expensive jet sprays or chemical treatments (Via I&DeA). Let’s hope these attractive bins will collect the gums in the future and give them a second life.
The second object Anna Bullus designed from her used chewing gum mix is the Chewy Pad with the characteristics of memory foam. While it offers a more sustainable alternative to standard memory foam, the Chewy Pad also provokes sustainable and educational opportunities when it comes to recycling. Imagine you sit (very comfortably) on the bus or metro, and see that the cushion under your bum is made from used bubble gum… Via: Materialise Me ::Anna Bullus
More gummy things on TreeHugger: The Gum Pouch, Glee Gum, Gum Recycling Bins
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Can you do this with your healthier brands of gum like Peelu or Glee Gum? (i.e. the ones that aren't based on petroleum)
so, how does this work. do you have to stick your gum in that little hole or the outside?
i like this because not only does it address the environmental issue, it is user driven. the user gets to interact with it in a playful way. kids chew gum for fun; the flavour, the bubbles, both very fun. now returning it can be fun too.
functional art.
i like it
OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOM!!!!! THATS SUOOOOOOOOOO AMMMMAAAZZZZIIINGNGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wher can you purchase these bins
This product would not stand up to the rigours of street life.. it's a student design project with good intentions - but sadly recycling used chewing gum on any level simply doesn't stack up.The cost of recovering gum, transporting it, storing it, treating it to remove bacteria, casting into a resin to make products out of it is totally out of porportion with the benefit that can be gained from any material produced at the end of it.