Submitted photos
Gauntlet finalist crushing it > One of the startups at this year's Gauntlet competition has launched a business that the owner says will keep more waste out of regional landfills - while providing extra income as she approaches retirement from her "day job." A Facebook video on YouTube about crushed glass being turned back into sand in New Zealand piqued the interest of Kathy Wirtanen and led her to launch EarthMagic Recycling LLC in Buena Vista. EarthMagic was one of the big winners at the 8th Annual Vinton-based Gauntlet Business competition this spring. Wirtanen has already collected several tons of discarded glass bottles and jars from localities in the Roanoke and Shenandoah Valleys: “a 55-gallon drum [of glass] in three rounds of
32
t AUGUST 2022 / vbFRONT.com
less than five minutes can be compressed into a 5-gallon bucket.” Her advice for others with a "great idea" that may want to move forward with a mentoring program like the GauntletWirtanen's prize package during the competition phase was valued at more than $10,000 - $4000 in cash: “there’s no time like the present. Talk to people, see what they think about your idea from a business standpoint. Is it sustainable?” Wirtanen says she is just getting started with EarthMagic Recycling - also holding drop-off events in Buena Vista at the Virginia Innovation Collective Building - turning all of that glass into eco-friendly sand for projects large and small, “from mixed media crafts to construction projects.” She’s also setting up an online marketplace. Follow EarthMagic Recycling LLC on Instagram says Wirtanen.
