The Gumdrop Story
Read on to discover how Gumdrop was founded to give gum a second life and inspire people to recycle
Founded in 2009.
Gumdrop was founded in 2009 by Anna Bullus, to tackle the global problem of gum litter.
Anna studied Three Dimensional Design at the University of Brighton where her interest in the development of materials, especially plastics was born. This, along with a long standing passion for environmental issues, naturally led to an interest in recycling.
One day when walking home from university, Anna decided to pick up every piece of litter she could find, with the aim of finding out how different types of waste were dealt with. What was destined for landfill and what might be recycled? Anna spotted a piece of chewed gum on the side of the pavement. It was the research behind what would happen to this piece of gum that spawned the idea of the Gumdrop Bin.
Through Anna’s research she was unable to find any means for recycling gum or any pro-active measures for tackling gum litter on our streets. Anna then wondered how she could give gum a second life.
Closed Loop.
The aim was to create a mouldable material using recycling chewing gum. From which bins could be made, specifically for the collection of waste chewing gum. Once the gum was collected, the bin along with its contents of waste gum could then be recycled to manufacture new bins. Little did she know that this would be the start of her career.
After leaving University with a First Class Honours Degree Anna gained experience as a Product Designer in London. At the same time she was showcasing her Gumdrop Bin project worldwide, generating so much interest and potential demand that she decided to set up Gumdrop Ltd.
Across the UK.
Gumdrop was commercially launched in 2013 with Legoland in Windsor being one of the first sites to sign up. Gumdrop Bins can now be found across the UK and has had the pleasure of working with some fantastic companies and brands, to name a few. BAA, Royal Mail, Virgin, Visa, Amey, ISS, Westfield Shopping Centres and Mars Wrigley’s. Gumdrop Bins have proven to be a great success seeing reductions in gum litter by up to 90% in the first 12 weeks of use in the locations where they are installed.
It’s not just about the Gumdrop Bin though, GUM-TEC®, from which the bins are made from has been further developed into a range of new sustainable polymer compounds which can be used for a vast range of different applications in sectors such as consumer wearables, construction, automotive, cleaning sector and packaging to name a few.
Going global.
Along the way, Anna has been nominated for and won some prestigious awards, including being placed in Management Today’s ’35 Women Under 35 to Change the Future’, selected as one of Kevin McCloud’s ‘Grand Designs Green Heroes’ and one of the Top 20 Young Entrepreneurs’ by Start Your Own Business Magazine.
Anna has won Tomorrow’s ‘Best Cleaning Product,’ was given a ‘Homes & Gardens Eco Designer of the Year Award,’ and was also placed in Wired Magazine’s ‘Europe’s 100 Hottest Start-ups’. She has recently been awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Brighton for her major contribution to the innovation, design and manufacture of sustainable products.
Gumdrop Ltd aims to deliver its innovative solution on a global scale, to inspire and educate people to give gum a second life.
The futures green with a drop of pink.