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Monday, 23 January 2012




New chewing gum bins will help to keep the streets clean

A new recycling device known as a Gumdrop is helping to reduce the amount of gum that ends up stuck on the streets.

The large, bubblegum-shaped ball is being placed in schools and shopping centres for gum chewers to drop in their used gum.

It doesn’t need to be emptied because the entire ball is recycled. The gum and ball are made into new plastic products – one Gumdrop full of gum makes enough plastic to produce three new Gumdrops.

The scheme has started in Kent, but it’s hoped it will be rolled out across the UK. Sonja Wood, director of EcoSan, the company behind the Gumdrop, said: “The Government spends £150 million a year on cleaning gum from streets, so this could save a huge amount of money.”

Three and a half billion pieces of chewing gum are left sticking to the streets of the UK every year, so this simple device could save a lot of shoes from a sticky situation!





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7 Comments


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  • jethro007 (Age 12) wrote on Monday, 23 January 2012 @ 16:43

    Yes great idea!!!! But I'm not sure people will use them cause they just wont bother to find a gumdrop, its for the same reason why people drop litter, they can't be bothered to find a bin!!!

  • jethro007 (Age 12) wrote on Monday, 23 January 2012 @ 16:53

    Yes great idea!! Although I'm not sure people will use them, people just won't bother to find a gumdrop, its for the same reason that we drop litter, they cant be bothered to find a bin!!!

  • cariadfab (Age 11) wrote on Tuesday, 24 January 2012 @ 18:40

    In our streets we also have these new funny faces on a piece of card to stick chewing gum on. Little things like. This can sometimes make a big difference.

  • sweetpea (Age 11) wrote on Wednesday, 25 January 2012 @ 11:55

    All the cool things don't happen in Essex! Grrrr

  • sweetpea (Age 11) wrote on Wednesday, 25 January 2012 @ 11:55

    I have never seen any street clean up thing on our streets, I'd have fun putting my gum in a gumdrop because they look cool! =)

  • zini (Age 10) wrote on Wednesday, 25 January 2012 @ 14:43

    Cool !

  • 09AhmedA (Age 13) wrote on Wednesday, 25 January 2012 @ 15:47

    gr8 idea