Gum Drop Bin (a wonderful way to prevent gum litter)

There are many ways to prevent street litter, and one of them is for councils to install gum drop bins in their communities. These hang on the wall (in schools or by bus stops) for people to deposit used chewing  gum, to stop it littering the ground. This also saves councils a fortune in cleaning bills.

This is important, as most gum contains xylitol, a toxic sweetener that can harm pets or wildlife if they ingest it (the sweetness can also attract many creatures). 

Never have anything with xylitol (gum, dental care products, baking ingredients) near pets, just licking up a tiny amount could be fatal. 

There is also a mini version that people can keep on their person, to stop littering.

The wonderful thing about gum drop bins, is that once collected, the gum is not thrown away. It’s sent off to recycle into other goods like these amazing reusable coffee cups. They are pink, due to being made from recycled gum! Other items made from leftover gum include industrial piping.

Gumdrops creates financial council savings

Cleaning up littered gum costs councils a fortune. It costs UK councils alone over £7 million a year, with 77% of streets having gum litter. Yet installing just two Gumdrop Bins can save councils £1200 a year in cleaning bills.

Placed in high foot-fall areas like bus stops (or outside fast food joints), these bright pink bins are easy to notice. One full bin holds 500 pieces of gum, and some of it is used to make new bins!

Councils that installed them (like in Colchester) saved thousands on street jet-washing, which also keeps streets safer from slip hazards. Surveys also found that gum litter was reduced by almost half in the first 12 weeks of installation.

Councils can also hand out the mini gumdrop-on-the-go keyrings (above image) to the public, so they always have a place to deposit used gum.