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How one Kansas City teen championed glass recycling in the Historic Northeast

Izac Santos (in red) and his friends standing in front of the bin that was paced at 9th and Van Brunt
Sarah Luebe
/
Ripple Glass
Izac Santos (in red) and his friends stand in front of the bin that was placed at 9th and Van Brunt

13-year-old Izac Santos came up with a solution to help curb glass littering on his practice field at 9th and Van Brunt.

Izac Santos is a soccer player at Ryogoku Soccer Academy. The 13 year old practices with his friends at 9th and Van Brunt in Kansas City's Northeast neighborhood.

But there was a problem. Too often, Izac found broken glass on the field. He was concerned about what would happen if he or his friends fell.

Ripple Glass, a glass recycling company, paid Ryogoku a visit. The visit inspired Izac to to do something about the practice field's glass problem.

Izac was assigned a passion project to seek a solution to an issue he was concerned about. He contacted Ripple Glass about a recycling bin. After the company contacted city officials for approval, a glass recycling bin was placed at the park at 9th and Van Brunt.

Now that Santos can see his potential and the importance of recycling, he wants to pass it on to his friends.

  • Izac Santos, student at Ryogoku Soccer Academy
  • Morgan Henderson, metro program manager for Ripple Glass.
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