Toy tractor and trailer built from trash

Energy & Sustainability Fun & Games
Toy tractor and trailer built from trash
plasticTractor.jpg

A monstrous testament to resourcefulness and the valor of the human spirit, rendered in the most modest toy, made of plastic bottles, rusty nails, and bits of wire. Both sort of heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. Taken in the Rift Valley region of Kenya.

Toy Tractor from Recycled Plastic

6 thoughts on “Toy tractor and trailer built from trash

  1. Crispin Proctor says:

    I’m from South Africa and have grown up with kids who make something out of nothing, who grasp mechanical and electrical concepts I struggled to study in school but as they did not go to school, they get no where.

    How many Einsteins exist in this world that, given a chance, space might be a viable option today. What if Newton and Einstein did no go to school? Would we be where we are today?

    Kids like this build things from feel, never from design. Such a talent.

    My 10c worth….

    Cheers,
    Crispin
    http://www.myenergyusage.org

  2. Ookseer says:

    Heck, I did this all the time when I was a kid, and I think a lot of us did. Didn’t you ever make anything out of a cardboard box?

    But what really strikes me is how reused this ‘trash’ is. Those aren’t bottles that thrown out after being used once, they have been used hundreds of times until they weren’t fit to hold stuff any more. Far from being heartbroken because these kids don’t have ‘proper’ toys (Are you kidding me! This thing looks fantastic! I want to play with it right now!) we should take lessons from them in both play and environmentalism. Those kids look like they’re having a great time and the environmental footprint of their toy is less than the packaging for one video game.

  3. Matt Eichel says:

    My uncle did missionary work in the Ivory Coast and I remember he brought back a couple of toys. These kids make little cars and other trinkets with a rusty old battery, bits of a can and metal wire. Apparently they even make push scooters out of junk too.

Comments are closed.

Discuss this article with the rest of the community on our Discord server!
Tagged

Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. His free weekly-ish maker tips newsletter can be found at garstipsandtools.com.

View more articles by Gareth Branwyn

ADVERTISEMENT

Maker Faire Bay Area 2023 - Mare Island, CA

Escape to an island of imagination + innovation as Maker Faire Bay Area returns for its 15th iteration!

Buy Tickets today! SAVE 15% and lock-in your preferred date(s).

FEEDBACK