The teens helping get your glass recycling to the kerb
Two teenage boys are hoping to clean up with an invention to help people recycle glass.
After noticing how cumbersome taking the glass recycling bin out could be, James Goldsack and Brock Drinkwater came up with the Glass Glider – a metal trolley on wheels with a handle.
The recycling bin slots neatly into the glider, which can then be easily pulled along the roadside.
‘‘We’ve been designing and making the product for four or five months,’’ Drinkwater said.
‘‘Originally we were going to go with more of a wheelbarrow design but when that was full of glass it was still quite heavy to lift.’’
The two New Plymouth Boys’ High School year 12 students made the Glass Glider as part of their Young Enterprise Scheme class. They see it as a way to help the elderly or people with mobility issues.
They make the product themselves out of Goldsack’s garage as his dad owns an engineering company.
It takes five to six hours’ work to make a batch of 10. Glass Gliders retail for $120 and can be ordered on their website – glassglider.mystorbie.com.
The boys have yet to get in touch with New Plymouth District Council, which provides the bins, but they plan to.
‘‘A lot of regions have the same size, so it doesn’t necessarily have to be limited to Taranaki,’’ Goldsack said.
‘‘Rotorua and Taupo has the same size and Hamilton’s size is slightly smaller, so it will still fit.’’
They have already made their initial pitch for the competition, placing second in Taranaki, with the finals on later in the year.
‘‘That’s judged on basically how well your product has improved from where the pitch was. At the pitch, we only had one cart complete ready to show, and we aim to have 50 by the finals.’’
Goldsack and Drinkwater have also started a programme called Gift A Glider, where people can donate towards a glider or donate a whole one to someone in need.
‘‘It’s not like it’s going towards a charity, but it’s going towards helping, and we’ll find it a good home talking to home help companies,’’ Drinkwater said.
‘‘It saves someone having to try and lumber it into the car and then drive it down or put in the wheelbarrow, or calling up a friend to come around and do it.’’