When it comes to true sticking power, nothing holds its ground like chewing gum. Not to mention clinging to the bottom of your shoe or even worse, your seat on the bus or in the cinema. The sticky problem of discarded blobs of chewing gum costs taxpayers £150million a year to clean up.
But scientists may have found a solution: the world's first non-stick gum. Washed off pavements by rain alone, it could save millions in cleaning costs - and put an end to the days of having to scrape discarded gum from shoes, clothing and even out of the hair. Said to be tasty and chewy without being sticky, the Rev 7 gum , as it is called, could be on sale early next year. Its development, by scientists at Bristol University, could end a 25-year world-wide quest to find a low-adhesion chewing gum.
Made of a mixture of synthetic rubber, chalk, wax, sugar and flavourings, chewing gum's stickiness comes from an adhesive compound also used in car tyres. The scientists say they have managed to replace this with a non-stick synthetic material.
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