While it may not be at the forefront of even the most eco-driven minds, chewing gum is littering sidewalks, city centers, schools and other public places—and there are better uses for it than collecting on the bottoms of our favourite shoes, according to two new start-ups that are out to solve the gum littering problem. Canadian Envyrobubble and British Gummy Bins offer tidy collection bins for pedestrians to deposit their chewed out pieces of gum.
Envyrobubble's colorful bins are designed for public spaces. Eye-catching designs in hot pink (err… bubblegum pink) stand out on busy sidewalks. Each holds up to 1,000 pieces of gum, which are collected by Envyrobubble and recycled into fertilizer. Gummy Bins come in two models—the Gummy Street, which can hold up to 500 pieces of gum, and the Gummy Club, which holds 250. Both models can be attached to street lanterns or walls and are available in a variety of gummy bear colors. The containers can be used indoors or out, though the smaller Gummy Club is more suitable for formal settings, can be branded with logos or promotional messages and is even available with an optional LCD screen. Gummy Bins has partnered with Hippo Waste, a leading UK recycling company that recycles gum into a rubber-like material that can be used in construction of drainage systems, running tracks and more.
The concept might seem a bit far-fetched, and we should be wary of more clutter in public spaces, but scraping gum off pavements costs money that could be spent on loftier goals. The cleaning process also requires harsh chemicals and lots of water, which is far from beneficial for the environment. One to add to your mix if you’re in recycling or city government. And shouldn’t Wrigleys, Chiclets and Bubblicious be lining up to sponsor the bins? Both Envyrobubble and Gummy Club are open to international distribution deals.
Websites: www.envyrobubble.com — www.gummybin.com
Contact: info@envyrobubble.com — info@gummybin.com
Spotted by: Danielle Schwartz
Whats wrong with ordinary bins?
In my town (in the UK) they've installed an absolutely revolting solution - boards attached to lampposts that you just stick it to. At face height. So everyone can admire it.
I do understand both the importance and significance behind this, nevertheless I cant see it working unless their are numerous gum bins otherwise you have to 'find' one. Also this requires a complete change in a pattern of behaviour which would be difficult to see take place.
Mark Bowness
www.peoplepassionplanet.com
Ordinary bins is ofcourse a solution, something i was thinking about whilst reading about Envirobubble however, in noticing that they were saying Chewing Gum can be put to use as fertilizer etc well... Maybe not such a bad idea, Really believe in the product and if you were able to get sponsorship from big chewing gum industries i believe this could go a long way.
Waste management has always been an issue needed to be solved urgently, but I have to admit I never thought of having a special bin for gums.
How will you stop people from putting other litter in these bins. I can see how someone would mistake it for a cigarette type bin...
Smartstreets have brought a completely different solution to market which has been adopted by over 30 Councils in the 18 months since launch in 2007. As product designers, Smartstreets were approcahed by Councils to design a gum and cigarette solution that would complement existing street furniture to help reduce street clutter. The solution needed to be robust, look good and be made from recycled materials. The Smartstreets-Smartbin (otherwise known as the Gumcatcher, Buttcatcher, Ashcatcher etc) is an award winning design (Red Dot Product Design 2008) which is unique in the way it wraps around lamp posts, sign posts as well as mounting onto walls, railings and other flat surfaces. In use in Airports, schools, universities conservation areas and business parks the Smartstreets-Smartbin is designed and made in the UK and is Patent Pending.
For further information about Smartstreets architecturally sensitive litter solutions - please visit Smartstreets at www.smartstreets.co.uk and the web gallery at www.smartstreets.eu or call London 0208 742 3223..
Smartstreets are launching a wide range of highly innovative solutions in the next few months which are designed specifically to control and reduce chewing gum and cigarette litter.