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10. 09. 09. - 15:00

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10. 09. 09. - 15:00

Croat invents a chewing-gum pillar

Croatian Times

Croat Andrej Macko from Slavonski Brod in eastern Croatia has invented a chewing-gum pillar.

Macko, who is also head of the "Seed, stump, art, life" community, told the Croatian Times his life was totally devoted to wood.

The idea of a chewing-gum pillar came to him after he realised many people just did not know what to do with their chewing gum and threw it into the street. Now, they can just stick it onto the artistic pillar.

Split residents and tourists can see his work in the city centre.

Macko's aim was to offer them a simple, unique, educational and ecological place for disposal of their gum.

He said the chewing-gum pillar required regular, special disinfection and frequent replacement by a new one.

He claimed the pillar was not only a practical but also an environmental solution because cleaning streets full of chewing gum was very expensive and required dangerous chemicals.

Macko started to work with wood after the Croatian Homeland war in the 1990s. He had post-traumatic stress disorder but decided not to take any pills but to dedicate his life to art and wood.

Talking about his art, he said: "There are infinitely many stories about wood. But this is my story, and it is unique and different."

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