Kent Gearry's "scooter vac" prototype, built at the end of last year, had proved itself to be manoeuvrable and cost-effective, he said last week.
During a four-week trial in Palmerston North in January, he travelled more than 500km, sucked up about 60kg of glass and put only 12 litres of fuel in the single-cylinder vacuum unit engine.
Mr Gearry (21) is now looking for someone to invest $50,000-$60,000 to begin commercial manufacture of the scooter vacs.
"I think the commercial potential is huge. I'd like to see an army of these all up and down the country."
Its main feature was its manoeuvrability, he said.
"It can clean streets, footpaths, cycleways, parks, gardens and skateboard parks, and can reach all those places a street sweeper can't go, like into the gutters behind parked cars."
The idea was born during a discussion between members of Palmerston North's Green Hub community environmental group, including Mr Gearry, who were lamenting the city's continual problem with broken glass.
The Green Hub and Massey's School of Engineering and Applied Technology entered into a partnership and Mr Gearry, a fourth-year mechatronics student, offered to develop a prototype.
His work was partly funded by a $20,000 grant from the Packaging Accord, a voluntary agreement by packaging manufacturers trying to cut down on the amount of packaging used for New Zealand-manufactured goods.
The response to the scooter vac had been positive, he said, "especially from cyclists, some of whom are getting punctures on a daily basis".
The scooter vac may find ready buyers in Dunedin, where road sweepers pick up about 2160 tonnes of rubbish, including glass, from city streets every year.
Delta has the street-cleaning contract for the Dunedin City Council.
Roading services manager Kelly Broderick said glass was "a jolly nuisance" and he would be interested in any technology which might make cleaning it up easier.
"I can see the potential."
Delta had two large road sweepers - costing $300,000 each - and three to four people sweeping by hand daily, he said.
Council roading maintenance engineer Peter Standring said he "would give anything a go" which would help reduce Dunedin's glass problem.
But he said what was needed was a change in attitude.
University property services manager Barry Mackay was cautious about the scooter vac, saying while glass was a problem on campus, other rubbish would also need to be collected.
