What if instead of stepping on gum, you could step into it? A new kind of shoe called Gumshoe lets you do just that.
The shoes are made with used gum from the streets of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
Gum is made partially of rubber, which makes it fun to chew. But because of the rubber, gum can take up to 25 years to break down naturally. The makers of the Gumshoe decided to collect the sticky confection and put it to good use.
Gumshoes have soles that are made of 20 percent old gum. But that’s not all that companies are making with the recycled gum. Discarded gum can also be found in Frisbees, phone cases, dog bowls, and more.
“By looking at waste differently, we can find innovative solutions that will keep our planet clean,” says Anna Bullus, one of the inventors of Gumshoes.