\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<\/a> footwear company to turn old shoes into new discs.<\/p>\n Trash Panda debuted its first Crocs Inner Core putters<\/a> 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<\/p>\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>\n 5 of the best urban disc golf courses near Denver<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n How Stedman went from DIY manufacturing to becoming a recycled plastics expert and working with a $4 billion corporation is nothing short of an adventure \u2014 one chronicled entirely on YouTube.<\/p>\n Thousands of viewers followed Stedman from his early days \u201changing on a bar in my garage\u201d injecting melted plastic into molds through the cycles of trial and error that led to Trash Panda\u2019s first release in November 2022. In one series of videos, Stedman tries making discs from a different type of plastic every day for five days. There\u2019s one titled \u201cToday Didn\u2019t Go So Well\u2026\u201d<\/a> that features footage of Stedman trying four different plastics with very little success.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought all plastic was pretty much the same,\u201d Stedman said reflecting on the time before his garage experiments. \u201cEvery type of plastic is engineered for a very specific purpose. The type of plastic that makes a fantastic pill bottle or take-out container is not the same type of plastic that makes a great disc golf disc.\u201d<\/p>\n That made finding the right mix for his products an arduous task. After all, the discs needed to be able to fly and maintain their integrity if they hit something like a tree.<\/p>\n Stedman wasn\u2019t deterred by the failures, however. If anything, he became more convinced that the outdoors community could lead in finding solutions that benefit the planet.<\/p>\n “Almost every outdoor sport depends on plastic production. From your weatherproof jacket to your kayak, it\u2019s all plastic,” he said. “The outdoor rec space and outdoor sports, in general, are primed for sustainability because we want to be outside, but we also need to protect the place we\u2019re out.”<\/p>\n Today, Trash Panda primarily uses a flexible and durable type of plastic called thermoplastic polyurethane or TPU, which it sources from brokers and manufacturing companies, as well as individuals through its own disc recycling program<\/a>. All of its products feature 100% recycled plastic, a rarity in the manufacturing industry, Stedman said.<\/p>\n “We have recycled everything from shoe soles to phone cases to cattle tags to scrap from the medical industry and automotive industry,” he said.<\/p>\n Certain types of plastic, like what Trash Panda gets from Crocs, can\u2019t be injected exclusively on their own, Stedman said. So instead, it gets mixed in with the company\u2019s base material to create a freckled design effect.(The same thing happens with recycled phone cases Trash Panda gets from Loopy Cases<\/a>, he said.)<\/p>\n The two companies were first introduced by a mutual acquaintance at a company called Circular Colorado<\/a>, said Bratter.\u00a0Circular Colorado works to find novel ways to recycle waste, turn it into new resources and limit what gets sent to landfills, a sustainability concept known as circularity.<\/p>\n Crocs manages a variety of sustainability initiatives that support its mission of \u201ccreating a more comfortable world for all,\u201d Bratter said. That includes finding circular models of production and consumption.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want people to enjoy Crocs and have multiple pairs, and we also acknowledge that if we are responsible for creating waste, we have a responsibility to address it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Through it Old Crocs, New Life program, the Broomfield-based footwear company allows customers to return their shoes in any condition. Well-loved pairs are ground down into Crocs “shreds,” which can then be used to make new products. That includes Trash Panda Dis Golf’s putter and mid-range discs. (Provided by Trash Panda Disc Golf)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The Old Crocs, New Life program allows customers to return their old shoes by mail or in person in any condition and receive a discount on future purchases. Well-loved pairs get ground down into \u201cCrocs shreds,\u201d which can then be used to manufacture new products, such as Crocs\u2019 line of Keep It Going Classic Clogs or Trash Panda\u2019s discs. (Provided by Crocs)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Trash Panda Disc Golf company makes several products, including putters and mid-range discs, using recycled Crocs shoes. The partnership advances both Colorado-based companies’ sustainability goals. (Provided by Trash Panda Disc Golf)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Show Caption<\/p>\n 1 of 3<\/p>\n Through it Old Crocs, New Life program, the Broomfield-based footwear company allows customers to return their shoes in any condition. Well-loved pairs are ground down into Crocs “shreds,” which can then be used to make new products. That includes Trash Panda Dis Golf’s putter and mid-range discs. (Provided by Trash Panda Disc Golf)<\/p>\n Expand<\/a><\/p>\n For example, the company\u2019s Old Crocs, New Life<\/a> takeback program allows customers to return their old shoes by mail or in person in any condition and receive a discount on future purchases. Gently used pairs get donated to nonprofits, such as Soles4Souls<\/a>, that help create economic opportunities for local entrepreneurs who can sell them.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, well-loved pairs get ground down into what Bratter calls \u201cCrocs shreds,\u201d which can then be used to manufacture new products. Crocs uses them in its own line of Keep It Going Classic Clogs<\/a> that feature 25% recycled materials.<\/p>\n Crocs currently donates the shreds used to make discs, Bratter said, to help support Trash Panda\u2019s innovation and, hopefully, inspire other companies to think sustainably. The more Crocs fans who leverage the takeback program, the more colors Trash Panda will have to work with in the future, she added.<\/p>\n \u201cManufacturing, especially using recycled materials, is nothing if it’s not innovation and creativity at its core,\u201d Bratter said. \u201cAnyone who is willing to experiment with our shreds and create new products in a sustainable way, we’re really excited to partner with.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Denver-based](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/TDP-Z-trashpanda-01_7d7dc9.jpg\")
Denver-based Trash Panda Disc Golf partnered with Crocs footwear company to release a specialty line of discs featuring recycled shoes on Earth Day 2026. The company will add a driver to the collection, called Crocs Procyon (pictured), on Sept. 14, 2026. (Provided by Trash Panda Disc Golf)<\/p>\n\n
![\"Jesse](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/TDP-Z-trashpanda-03.jpg\")
Jesse Stedman, founder and CEO of Trash Panda Disc Golf, shows off one of the discs made in collaboration with Crocs footwear company. The two Colorado-based companies have an ongoing partnership that allows Trash Panda to incorporate “shreds” from old Crocs shoes into its discs, which are made using 100% recycled plastic. (Provided by Trash Panda Disc Golf)<\/p>\n\n
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