Southampton Airport has become the first airport in the world to install chewing gum recycling bins, after it installed 25 GUMDROP bins in its terminal building to encourage the public to recycle their used chewing gum.

Thought to be the first initiative in the world to divert chewing gum away from landfill for recycling, the bubblegum-pink GUMDROP receptacles collect used chewing gum, and, when full, are recycled in their entirety with other plastics and converted into more bins. The recycled gum can also be used to create other products, such as mobile phone covers.

GUMDROP creator, Anna Bullus, said she was “extremely excited” to be working on the project with Southampton Airport, adding that “[it] is a great opportunity to educate and inspire people from all walks of life to give gum a second life and pave the way for a cleaner, greener Southampton Airport”.

According to GUMDROP, if the units are used by the two million passengers travelling through Southampton Airport every year, they could save the airport up to £3,000 in cleaning costs.

The airport’s cleaning and maintenance provider, Amey, oversaw the installation of the units, with Andy Foster, Amey’s Site Services Manager at the airport, saying: “We’ve spent a considerable time over the years cleaning up gum from various areas in and around the terminal building. It may seem innocent enough to drop one bit of gum on the ground, but if large numbers of people do this, it becomes a time-consuming and unpleasant cleaning issue.”

“The GUMDROPS are a cost effective and eco-friendly addition to our cleaning regime. We’ve positioned them in areas where we get high levels of gum littering, such as in the toilets and near the main airport entrance. They’re easy to spot and we’ve already noticed an improvement as passengers start to make use of them”, added Foster. Amey have said they hope to introduce the scheme to other airports in the future.

Southampton Airport’s Managing Director, Dave Lees, also welcomed the project, saying: “We have a number of different recycling facilities here at the airport and we’re pleased to be able to offer passenger this innovative alternative to disposing of their gum. The GUMDROPS will help maintain our excellent levels of cleanliness in and around the terminal.”

According to GUMDROP, around 935 million packs of chewing gum are consumed in the UK every year, but only 10 to 20 per cent is disposed of in a litter receptacle.

GUMDROP receptacles are also now being installed at Legoland Windsor and at selected Virgin Trains-managed station.

More information on GUMDROP bins can be found on their website.