Giving Luge Carts a Second Life
Every day at Skyline Queenstown, our Luge carts take guests on a gravity-fuelled experience. Built for durability, performance and safety, each cart is engineered to withstand thousands of journeys down the tracks.
But after approximately 20,000 rides, every Luge cart eventually reaches the end of its life. Rather than seeing this as the end of the journey, we saw an opportunity to create a more sustainable future for our retired Luge carts.
A Challenge Worth Solving
Our Luge carts are designed to last. Their robust construction allows them to safely carry guests through thousands of rides, but that same durability creates challenges when it comes to disposal.
Each cart weighs approximately 30kg and is made from hard plastic, a material that cannot be processed through standard recycling systems. With around 120 carts reaching the end of their service life every year, this represented approximately three and a half tonnes of hard plastic that would otherwise be destined for disposal.
That’s the problem we wanted to solve.
“Sending the cart to landfill just wasn’t acceptable for us” says Pierre Poyet, Strategic Projects Manager for Skyline “We wanted a solution that wasn’t just disposal, it had to be circular.”
Collaboration is the Answer
We knew that finding the right solution required collaboration. We investigated a number of potential partners before finding a shared vision with Waste Management.
Together, with Waste Management New Zealand and Comspec, we worked together to develop a recycling pathway for retired Luge carts.
The partnership brought together different expertise: our understanding of the carts and how they are used, Waste Management’s waste recovery capabilities, and Comspec’s specialised plastic recycling process.
“It’s just nice to be part of a project where we can make a tangible end product from the waste and save it going to landfill,” says Logan Dingle, General Manager at Comspec.
Watch the video below to see how a Luge cart travels from the track at Skyline to its next life as a recycled product.
A Better Outcome all Round
Sustainability solutions are most effective when they deliver environmental and commercial value together. As an added benefit, the new recycling pathway is currently operating at a slightly lower cost than the previous landfill disposal method. It demonstrates that reducing waste does not always come at an additional cost. Sometimes the better environmental outcome is also the smarter business decision!
The Future is Circular
Sustainability challenges are rarely solved by one organisation alone. They require partnerships, creative thinking and a willingness to explore solutions that may not have been considered before.
For us at Skyline, this project represents another step towards reducing waste, protecting our environment, and finding smarter ways to operate.
FAQ’s
Why can’t old Luge carts go through standard recycling systems?
Luge carts are made from hard plastic that requires specialised processing. They cannot be recycled through standard kerbside recycling systems.
How many Luge carts are retired each year?
Approximately 120 Luge carts reach the end of their operational life every year.
What happens to the retired Luge carts?
Skyline removes the scrap metal components before the plastic bodies are collected by Waste Management and transported to Comspec in Christchurch for recycling.
What are the recycled Luge carts turned into?
The recycled plastic is primarily used to manufacture drain coil products.
When did this recycling programme begin?
The programme started in 2025, with the first collection recycling 650kg of Luge cart plastic.