Drinker Toys Launches Thirst Mate to Float Drinks and Upcycle Plastic Bottles

ATLANTA - Nov. 12, 2014 - PRLog -- Drinker Toys has launched the Thirst Mate^TM, an eco-responsible drink holder made from recycled material that upcycles empty plastic bottles to float drinks in recreational settings including pools, lakes, rivers, and oceans. The patent pending design allows users to screw in 3 standard plastic bottles from 12 ounce to 2 liter sizes, and the bottles provide the buoyancy and stability in calm and turbulent water. The Thirst Mate holds most cans and bottles of soft drinks and beer - with or without koozies. It also will hold most popular sizes of party cups, tumblers, and even wine bottles.

“November 15^th is America Recycles Day, and we wanted to show people that you can have fun and do something that is good for the environment,” said Pete Ballard, partner and inventor. The partners behind Drinker Toys have been putting their words into action for quite some time.  Their post-production company, LAB 601, received the 2007 Community Partnership Award from Earth Share of Georgia for their efforts to increase the awareness of sustainability in the workplace.

By reusing empty plastic bottles, the Thirst Mate keeps them from going to local landfills or littering the environment. In 2012, approximately 3.87 billion pounds of plastic bottles were not recycled in the United States. “By giving what was once a single use plastic bottle a second life, you’re making it valuable before having to spend resources to collect, sort, transport and process it for recycling,” said Ballard.

The company is utilizing the emerging technology of desktop 3D printing to go from concept to Kickstarter in less than 3 months. Using the Makerbot Replicator 5^th Generation printer and Tinkercad, an easy-to-use tool for creating digital designs that are ready to be 3D printed into physical objects, they began designing using simple components and shapes. Partner and inventor Dave Ballard notes, “After 15 minutes of design brainstorming, an hour of modeling, and an overnight print job, we had our first prototype. We ran outside and tested it in a big mud puddle behind the office.” The company has used this rapid prototyping process to create several iterations of the design to test and refine the product in preparation for the consumer release.

The company has started a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to raise the funds necessary to start mass production. To learn more about the Thirst Mate and view the campaign, go to http:// (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/580934666/thirst-mat...)www.kickstarter.com/projects/580934666/thirst-mate-float-your-drink-with-upcycled-plastic.

About Drinker Toys
Drinker Toys was founded by brothers Dave and Pete Ballard in 2014. The Thirst Mate is the first product in the Drinker Toys family. Our vision is to develop a series of inter-connectable and infinitely configurable pieces that allow people to create more fun while on the water with the added benefit of giving empty plastic bottles a second life outside of landfills and waterways. There’s no reason you can’t have fun and do good!