A 7-year-old boy in Orange County, California launched his own recycling business, and is saving his earnings for college. Ryan […]
A 7-year-old boy in Orange County, California launched his own recycling business, and is saving his earnings for college.
Ryan Hickman began recycling when he was just 3 1/2 years old.
“We had gone to the center with a couple of bags, and he really loved the actual act of putting all the cans and bottles into the machine and getting the money for it, and that kind of got him hooked,” described Damion Hickman, Ryan’s father.
Ryan devotes a portion of his week to sorting and cleaning the bottles and cans he collects, and every few weeks, he takes them to the recycling plant.
Over the years, his family thinks he’s recycled around 200,000 cans and bottles.
He’s saved more than $10,000 for college. He also sells T-shirts on his website and donates the proceeds to the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach.
“For the sea lions to get food and medicine,” he said.
Ryan would also like to invest his savings in a business purchase.
“The recycling money I’m saving for a garbage truck,” Ryan said.
Get to know Ryan by watching the video below, filmed by his father.