I was walking near Columbus Circle yesterday when I noticed a sign: Caution, Gum Busters.
I looked up and saw a Gum Buster hard at work.
You might have heard of Gum Busters before — they were featured in Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs. According to the company’s website:
The bottom line is that our patented gum removal method out-performs the traditional methods of scraping, harsh chemicals and power washing which can be disruptive to business and pedestrian traffic.
The company gets rid of gum using as little as 4 gallons of water per day, compared to the 8,000 gallons of water used during Power Washing. And the method they use is nontoxic.
It certainly did seem like a dirty job.
As I walked away, an executive of Gum Busters told me to keep spitting out gum so he stays in business. Honestly, looking at the ground, I doubt he will have any trouble with that.
I walked by the sidewalk the next day and indeed, the gum was gone (well, except for some faint, gum ghost marks).
