If having too much demand for your product is a problem, Zebulon Parsons has a problem.
Parsons is the president and founder of Bricolage Dynamics Inc., an Upstate startup that transforms waste glass from consumers into sand used in applications ranging from construction to landscaping to roads.
“Bricolage” means to take something used and rework it into a new product. In this case, it’s taking used glass and reworking it into one of the world’s most in-demand products — sand needed for construction, landscaping and building and maintaining roads.
Parsons sees transforming waste glass — of which there’s 8 million tons per year thrown into landfills in America — as a sustainable way to fill a market demand.
“Big problems need big solutions,” he said.
Parsons’ business picks up non-tempered glass and ceramics directly from consumers and grinds it into whatever consistency is needed — from fine, talc-like powder to a coarse grit. All this is done while using 97% of what he receives, three times the national average for recycling plants.
Despite the limitations caused by single-stream recycling processes that lead to contaminated glass stock, Parsons said he’s provided just over 24 tons of sand in the past two years in business, and that’s just what he’s been able to accomplish with limited resources.
“It’s helped us get investors,” he said.
His biggest challenge? Funding. So far, he’s raised $90,000 on a quarter-million goal and is seeing his customer base expand. His goal is to expand overseas in places like India, where he says he has contacts.
To take things to the next level, however, Parsons has had to raise about $250,000 in capital, which he’s doing through crowdsourcing. He’s raised about $90,000 of that, with a deadline of Nov. 30 to hit his goal.
He said he’s not been able to get to the customers that he already has because of limitations with equipment and transportation — and there’s a growing waitlist. He also wants to sell intellectual property, such as manufacturing processes and logistics, to customers around the world. He hopes to get the word out to the public.
“There’s a lot of interest (in the company),” Parsons said.
