What is Gumdrop...
Have you ever noticed how our towns, cities, streets, parks, schools, cinemas, trains, planes and theme parks are being taken over by random white splodges? Have you ever taken the time to stop and look at exactly what these splodges are? Unfortunately not the work of a radical artist, alien invasion or simply a random act of nature, these splodges are a product of irresponsible chewing gum disposal.
These white splodges may look like worthless waste but that does not mean they are cheap. It costs councils across the UK £60 million pounds a year to remove chewing gum litter from our streets.
So why do we do it? Why do we litter our streets? Destroy our surroundings with a dirty eye sore? Allow others to stand or sit in our poorly disposed chewing gum? Unfortunately we cannot answer questions on the wonders of mankind, but what we can do is offer a solution to this sticky situation. Gumdrop Ltd was founded by Anna Bullus in 2009 to tackle the global problem of chewing gum litter. Gumdrop Ltd is the first company in the world to recycle and process chewing gum into a range of new compounds that can be used in the rubber and plastics industry. Make way for Gum-tec®.
Gumdrop Ltd has been founded on a closed loop recycling process. Gum-tec® is used to manufacture the Gumdrop Bin and Gumdrop on-the-go, pink receptacles designed specifically for the disposal of waste chewing gum. Gumdrops are bright pink and look like strawberry flavoured bubble gum bubbles, a fun, colourful replacement for the common blank eyesore of the white splodge. Once the Gumdrop is full, the whole Gumdrop along with its contents of waste gum is recycled and processed to manufacture new Gumdrops, the cycle starts again.
Gumdrop Ltd collaborate with manufacturers and companies globally in order to offer innovative products made from recycled and processed chewing gum. With Gumdrop’s help, recycled and processed chewing gum can become a vast number of things from wellington boots, to mobile phone covers, stationary, packaging and much more. As well as being used as a more sustainable choice to virgin plastics.
As well as consulting companies on how to implement sustainably driven processes in order to hit ESG goals, reduce waste and increase profit margins. We are able to share our knowledge and learnings discovered whilst creating Gumdrop, in turn helping our clients to adopt robust and innovative solutions to their problematic waste streams.
Will you give gum a second life?
What will your gum become..?
At Gumdrop Ltd we recycle all types of chewing gum waste from chewed gum coming from the Gumdrop bins and the Gumdrops On-the-go, as well as working together with manufacturers to provide a zero waste to landfill alternative for gum manufacturers wishing to lower or eliminate their waste gum output. This is then recycled and put through our new process in order to create a range of compounds for use in the plastics and rubber industry. Gum-tec® is a sustainable material with a message that will resonate with businesses and consumers globally working towards enhancing ESG (Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance) goals. Everyday we strive to find innovative solutions that will bring change to help keep our planet clean. Our aim is to work together to eliminate the waste gum output and to deliver innovation on a global scale.
We are always looking for different manufacturers and companies to collaborate with in order to bring new products to market made with Gum-tec®. Gum-tec® can be incorporated into your current product range or into new products that fit your brand, whether it be additional products that compliment your range or point of sale goods to help promote your brand and company. If you have an idea or think that it would be an interesting material to use, please get in contact at gumtec@gumdropltd.com.
Kick-Start the process
Gumdrop is the first bin in the world that is not only designed specifically for the disposal of waste chewing gum, but is also made with waste chewing gum. Gumdrop houses a closed loop recycling process designed to both educate and inspire the public to give gum a second life.
To help reduce the growing strain on the world’s environment we would like to encourage everyone who chews gum to recycle it. By simply dropping your chewing gum into a Gumdrop bin your small effort will go towards making a huge change. Putting chewing gum into a standard bin may keep our streets clean, however it will not be recycled and will end up in landfill. When used chewing gum is thrown on the floor the repercussions are expansive. Not only does it produce unsightly blots that ruin our landscape and cost a great deal to remove but it also costs us our environment. Not to mention how difficult it is to attempt to remove poorly disposed of chewing gum from your clothes and shoes. The best way to ensure your chewing gum is recycled efficiently and responsibly, is to drop it into a Gumdrop. Gumdrop along with its contents of used chewing gum is recycled and processed into new Gumdrop’s which are then redistributed, so that the the cycle can start again.
Why should I use a Gumdrop?
Gumdrop has proved to reduce chewing gum litter by up to 78% in the first 12 weeks of use, and will save more than the annual cost of your Gumdrop Membership on cleaning bills. Gumdrop is currently saving in excess of £1M a year on cleaning bills across its contracts. It is a great addition to ESG goals and a product that has captured the publics’ imagination. Get started now and lets work together to clean up gum litter inch by inch.
How does it work?
We offer Gumdrop Memberships, allowing you to choose the number of Gumdrop Bin locations you would like. Throughout your Gumdrop Membership you will be able to use as many as the Gumdrop Bins as you wish. We charge a yearly fee and then a delivery charge for any new Gumdrops delivered throughout your Membership. As part of your Membership we will send you a Launch Pack to help you get started. This will give you ideas, info and tools to help design and implement a successful Launch. Half way through your Membership you will receive your Booster Pack, this will include a number of Gum-tec products to give out to help boost your gum collection by showing your gum chewers what their gum can be recycled into. We will also send you back stats collected from your full Gumdrops that we receive back throughout your Gumdrop Membership.
If you would like to become a Gumdrop Member please e-mail us at info@safe-stride.com.
Where should I put them?
The Gumdrops can be wall or post mounted (we only supply wall fixings). Gumdrops love places with high footfall and where there is a change in action, for instance:
Entrances, exits, car parks, toilets, walkways, near other recycling stations, smoking areas etc.
Our Gumdrops are generally pretty versatile little pods and can be placed wherever you think necessary, however we do advise that you try to make sure the pods are visible and accessible in order to help encourage people to use them.
How can I protect my Gumdrops against vandalism?
We offer metal outer casings that are very easy to instal and use. These will help protect the Gumdrop Bins where vandalism may occur. We advise that you use the metal outer casings in outdoor locations. These are charged separately to the Gumdrop Bin Membership. We also offer a buy back service so that nothing goes to waste once you have finished with them.
How long do the Gumdrops take to fill?
We find that every location is different. We have Gumdrops that fill every five days and others that take four / five months to fill. What we do say is that our Gumdrops like to take care of themselves and keep their self-hygiene in check, because of this we ask that the Gumdrops aren’t left out any longer than four months. This way we can keep our brand fresh, and the Gumdrop can keep his vanity in check, making the Gumdrop constantly appealing for the public to use.
How will I know if the bins are working?
Keep Britain Tidy have devised a survey that all our customers can use to find out if the Gumdrops are doing their job. The survey allows you to simply and efficiently work out whether there is a percentage decrease in chewing gum litter, a money saving or a time saving on cleaning.
What happens when I have ordered my Gumdrops?
We will say a big thank you for choosing Gumdrop and helping us to recycle. We will then begin to put your order together and deliver to you within 4-7 working days. Once your Gumdrops have been delivered you are responsible for the installation and maintenance. We do however send a welcome pack to you filled with info that should help to get you started, and give you some tips on how to get the most from your Gumdrops.
At Gumdrop we like to help wherever we can, so if you would like us to come and do a site visit to help you place the bins then please send us an e-mail at info@safe-stride.com
When you first start we also think that it is really important to raise awareness of the Gumdrops and start spreading the recycling message as quickly as possible. In order to do this we can help arrange a fun Launch for your Gumdrop bins. These have proven in the past to be a great way to kick-start the usage of your Gumdrops, the Launch days get people instantly involved in the scheme by raising awareness of the recycling process, whilst also attracting local press.Please see our Gumdrop case studies and get in contact if this sounds like something you would like to do. It doesn’t stop there, Gumdrop are always only a mouse click or phone call away, if you ever need help or have any questions we are always happy to help.
Who should use the Gumdrops, & which area do you cover?
EVERYONE!
Anyone wishing to reduce chewing gum litter and add to their ESG goals should be using a Gumdrop. We currently distribute to the UK and several European countries, however our aim is to work collectively to reduce chewing gum litter globally through waste to innovation. So wherever you are in the world, if you are interested in Gumdrop then we would love to hear from you. The more we know about people wanting the Gumdrop the more reason we have for traveling further a field.
