{"id":4234,"date":"2026-08-27T13:35:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T13:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=4234"},"modified":"2026-08-27T13:35:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T13:35:00","slug":"colorado-disc-golf-company-turns-old-crocs-and-other-trash-into-new-products","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=4234","title":{"rendered":"Colorado disc golf company turns old Crocs, and other trash, into new products"},"content":{"rendered":"
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…<\/strong><\/div>

Jesse Stedman admits that naivety was initially the driving force behind his quest to manufacture disc golfing equipment out of 100% recycled plastic.<\/p>

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In 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing in full force, Stedman began building a manual injection molding machine in his Denver garage and researching plastics. Turns out, there was a lot to learn.<\/p>\n

It would take Stedman more than two years to manufacture a putter to bring to market, though by that time he\u2019d built an audience for his company, Trash Panda Disc Golf, by sharing the journey on YouTube and by selling mini discs. Since then, the company has made 250,000 discs and kept more than 100,000 pounds of plastic from reaching landfills in the process, Stedman said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve never necessitated or created the need for virgin plastic to be created,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re recycling roughly a pound of plastic every minute.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the years, Trash Panda has outgrown Stedman\u2019s garage and DIY machinery, and attracted some high-profile collaborators from which it sources used materials. Last year, it landed its biggest partnership yet when it began working with Broomfield-based Crocs footwear company to turn old shoes into new discs.<\/p>\n

Trash Panda debuted its first Crocs Inner Core putters on Earth Day this year, each featuring speckles of plastic from recycled shoes. The collection has expanded to include a new putter color combination as well as a small-batch mid-range disc, which has since sold out.<\/p>\n

Lucky for disc golfers, Trash Panda will soon add a driver to the mix, called the Crocs Procyon. It\u2019s slated for release on Sept. 14.\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really an incredible opportunity to bring together two local brands with a shared belief in the idea that a product\u2019s story doesn\u2019t have to end when its first use does,\u201d said Deanna Bratter, Crocs\u2019 chief sustainability and compliance officer.<\/p>

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