I love blowing bubbles and showing my friends how good I am at that. Well, it only works sometimes. I usually wrap the residue in a small piece of paper and throw it in a bin. That’s what we all do, right? We never thought about what happens after we announce it as trash, or where the gum ends up. 

Almost 560,000 tons of chewing gum is produced every year, out of which only 374 billion pieces make up to us. A piece of gum can last more than 10 years, and scientists have compared this confection to plastic. Sure, it is important for your breath to smell great, and gum is good for relaxing and teeth! It is basically an all-in-one package. But like a buyer’s responsibility doesn’t end after selling a product, your influence also doesn’t end after its consumption.

What’s the problem?

Almost 80-90% of chewing gum purchased isn’t disposed of properly, and since gum is made of synthetic plastic, it is not biodegradable. Even though sustainable Gums have been produced, we aren’t sure when they will take over completely. Sidewalks and toilets are the hotspots for gum disposal. Chewed gum is the second most common form of litter after cigarette burns. Moving on to the seaside, water animals can be seriously harmed by gums. It can choke animals and can become toxic over time. As much as we hate getting gum stuck to our clothes and shoes, it is 30% easier to remove them from such reachable places than roads.

A sticky solution

Anna Bullus, a design student at the University of Brighton had great scrutiny in recycling. She realised during her research how chewing gum, a common material, was actually causing trouble to the environment. It was like a pest, sticking to the ground and being found in almost every populated area.

Recycling has always been there, but how can we sort out gums from the garbage?

GumDrop was introduced as a hand-sized pink bubble, easily fixed to lamp posts, walls and anywhere which has a clean surface. The potential of all collected gums at one place was soon appreciated. The gums end up at a factory plant in Worcester, where unwanted materials are filtered. When the used gum pieces are grinded with recyclable compounds like plastic bits, a strong material is formed. The mixture, which contains a minimum of 20% gum, is put into an injection molding machine. It is later heated and left to set into the mold. The mixture depends on the type of item which is being made. 

Gum-tec Gumboots are 100% recyclable, and come in cool colours! Shoe soles have also been manufactured, and are in great demand. Rubbers, pencils in sustainable packaging, Gumtech’s ‘Poppad’ (notebook), Americano mug, lunch boxes and boomerangs are just some products of Gumdrop. 

Bullus worked with plastic experts for three years before coming up with Gum-tec. Her product is truly the future of a sustainable environment. GumDrop also comes in different sizes; small ones can be attached with car keys, kept in purses as they’re handy and can be carried comfortably.

Places where gums are found the most, like airports and universities have already adapted to this new type of bin, and have shown positive results. Once those round bins are full, they can be mailed to GumDrop Ltd or be popped in a big GumDrop bin, so they can be collectively recycled. 

What makes this gumdrop recycling product stand out from the rest is its significant, pink colour and shape. It also comes with instructions and is accessible to everyone. As a gum lover, I would adore it!

If you liked reading this, you will love: Behold The Age Of Paper Water Bottles!

The post Chewing Gums Require A Sticky Solution – How GumDrop Is Promoting Recycling appeared first on Yodoozy®.