And Anna Bullus thinks she has come up with a solution.

She is hoping to produce a bin, partly made of recycled chewing gum, which can be attached to lamp posts so chewers can dispose of their gum, in an environmentally-friendly way.

Anna, who studied at Bedales School and went on to gain a degree in Three Dimensional design at Brighton University, said: "I was walking back from uni one day when I started to think about the unsightly splodges that litter streets of towns and cities globally.

"I went out to see what other kinds of litter I could find and I quickly came to realise they had something in common apart from chewing gum – they can all be recycled.

"Then the question came 'why can't chewing gum be recycled' and this inspired me to create Gumnetic Bubble Gum Bin as one of my final projects for my degree."

Already airports, leisure centres, city council's schools and universities are clamouring for Anna to mass produce her bins.

"And that's where I am now," said Anna, "I am currently developing the material gumnetic.

"I am making recycled chewed chewing gum into pellets for injection and blow moulding.

"I will re-use the collected chewing gum along with a plastic polymer that biodegrades in order to produce the bins."

If everything goes according to plan, Anna will be launching the bins in four months' time, made purely from the plastic polymer to begin with.

"This will allow me to collect the chewing gum to start the recycling process."

She then plans to relaunch the bin in August next year when they will be made from recycled chewing gum and the biodegradable plastic polymer.

Anna has been selected as a Churchill Fellow and granted £7,000 to make research visits to America and Australia.

"I will use this time to go and work with polymer experts who will help me turn the chewing gum into pellets."

She is currently working with Hidden Art London, and the London Metropolitan University to recycle chewing gum.

Anna who has also started her own company, Anna Bullus Design, knew she wanted to be a product designer from the age of seven.

"I have always had a big imagination and love to explore the ideas I have.

"I am influenced by people I meet every day and the environment we live in, especially the tranquillity and beauty of the Sussex countryside.

"Maybe this is why I try to design with sustainability in mind."