October 6, 2024 • 14 mins
Send Katie a Message with Your Questions/Thoughts! :)
In this special bonus episode featuring Eco-Minded Kids, I sit down with Fenton: an 8-year-old waste management enthusiast who’s already making a big impact in our community! Known as the “neighborhood trash guy,” Fenton shares his passion for recycling, reducing waste, and even educating neighbors on better trash services.
From collecting cans to crushing them for recycling, Fenton is on a mission to clean up the neighborhood and inspire others to be more eco-conscious. Tune in to hear how this young eco-warrior is making a difference and what we can all learn from him, including:
- how he’s investing in his own waste management business
- why waste management matters
- and important things you need to know about your trash & recycling!
➡️ Do you know an eco-minded kid who would love to share their story and inspire others on the podcast?? ✨ Click this link to fill out your submission and I'll get back to you! ✨
P.S. Be sure to subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode and follow us on Instagram & TikTok @ecomindedmama to stay connected! ✨
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Katie Kurpanek (00:00):
Welcome to this show, Fenton! Okay, we are
(00:04):
officially kicking off ecominded kids, which is a little
series that I'm excited to do,because I think there's a lot of
kids out there that are likeyou, and they're doing amazing
things to take care of the earthand the community around them,
and I want to share theirstories, so I'm excited you get
to be the first one.
Fenton (00:24):
That's exciting!
Katie Kurpanek (00:26):
Thanks for being on here. Okay, so where we live,
you are kind of known as, like,the neighborhood trash guy,
right? So can you kind of tellus, like, how did you get that
nickname?
Fenton (00:39):
Um, I've lived in Washington, DC, and I saw the
trucks, and I really liked them,and then I moved here. And then
now, since I'm older, I take outpeople's trash and all that, and
follow the garbage man aroundour neighborhood.
Katie Kurpanek (00:59):
That's so cool.
And the garbage man lets youactually, like, help load the
trash onto their haulers, right?
Fenton (01:06):
Yeah, um, I get to run the controls on the back of the
truck and crush it.
Katie Kurpanek (01:13):
That's awesome.
So okay, how did you originallyget started with this? You said
you lived in Washington, andthen you moved here. But how did
you like-- did you just go up tothe trash man one day and ask
him if you could help or, like,how did you start that?
Fenton (01:29):
I started liking garbage trucks when I was about two
years old. I don't exactly knowhow I got interested in trash.
Katie Kurpanek (01:41):
That's okay!
Fenton (01:42):
I think I just saw the garbage trucks and liked them.
Katie Kurpanek (01:45):
That's amazing.
So it's been, like your wholelife. Because how old are you
now?
Fenton (01:49):
Eight, about nine in a month.
Katie Kurpanek (01:53):
Oh my gosh, that's so, so cool. So okay,
what do you do with all of thecans that you collect? Because,
like, I know what you do, butpeople listening might not know,
like you kind of walk around theentire neighborhood, not just
our street, and you collectcans, but what do you do with
them?
Fenton (02:11):
I take them, I crush them. I have a little spot my
backyard behind our shed, whereI crush them, bag them, and then
when I get about seven bags ofcrushed cans, I haul them to a
metal recycler, a place thatbuys metal, cans and steel and
(02:32):
copper.
Katie Kurpanek (02:34):
And then you get paid for that, right?
Fenton (02:36):
Yes,
Katie Kurpanek (02:37):
That is so cool.
What are you going to do withall that money?
Fenton (02:40):
I just save it!
Katie Kurpanek (02:42):
That's so smart of you.
Fenton (02:44):
All I really spend it on is to invest in that business.
Katie Kurpanek (02:48):
So how do you invest in it?
Fenton (02:51):
I buy I buy new garbage cans to keep it tidy. My I
bought the can crusher. I buybags.
Katie Kurpanek (03:02):
that's awesome.
So the can crusher, for anybodywho doesn't know, so you have a
shed in your backyard, and thecan crusher is probably, like,
you know, this big, like, thesize of a typical can. And it's
so simple. You just, like, screwthat into the shed, and it has a
handle, and you just put a canon there, and you crush it down
flat, right? Yeah, yeah. And sothen you fill up bags and whole
(03:23):
trash cans worth of those flatcans, right?
Fenton (03:30):
Each bag is worth 40 gallons,
Katie Kurpanek (03:33):
40 gallons?!
Fenton (03:34):
Yeah, they're big bags.
Katie Kurpanek (03:36):
Oh my goodness,
Fenton (03:37):
yeah!
Katie Kurpanek (03:37):
Is that kind of crazy to you? That like we go
through that many cans all thetime, like you're constantly
collecting that many cans fromthe neighbors, right?
Fenton (03:47):
I have about 10 people that give me cans. Yeah, we make
a lot of cans. Some make morethan others.
Katie Kurpanek (03:54):
Okay, I've heard from a couple of the other
neighbors that sometimes youeven educate them about their
waste hauler, like their wastemanagement person, and you think
that they would do better toswitch to somebody else. Can you
talk a little bit about that?
Fenton (04:10):
So for example, one one person a few houses down on the
street, they have RepublicServices, another waste hauler,
and I've tried talking them intogetting Waste Management,
(04:31):
because Waste Management paystheir employees better. They're
nicer, it's cheaper, so it'sthere's a lot of reasons for
that, and it's helping everyone.
It's helping risk management. Itmakes me happy. Um, it makes,
we're saving them money.
Katie Kurpanek (04:57):
that's awesome, Fenton. I love. Love your heart.
I love that you care that muchabout, even like the people
working in waste management, andnot just yourself or this
neighborhood, like you reallycare about everybody. So how did
you start researching that?
Like, did your parents supportyou? Or did you just start
researching it on your own?
Fenton (05:19):
I've been researching it on my own, the trashmen are
nicer, and they also get paidmore at Waste Management. I've
seen a few Republic drivers andWaste Management drivers and
Waste Management drivers are waynicer, by far.
Katie Kurpanek (05:41):
Interesting.
Okay, that's cool that likeyou're taking your personal
experience and then sharing thatwith other people, just in case
that would persuade them. Ithink that's really cool. Um, so
how are your parents supportingyou with all of this? Because
you've been doing this kind ofstuff for years now.
Fenton (06:01):
Um, I mean, they're really supportive. Um, my dad
hauls me to the metal recycler.
Even though, I don't think helikes it. He hauls me there.
It's a little creepy. Andthey've just supported me like
they care about, they care aboutit. They care about my passion.
Katie Kurpanek (06:22):
That's so cool.
Do you feel like your friendscare about this at all because
they see that you care about it?
Fenton (06:28):
um, I'd say, yeah, yeah, um. I mean, I try to introduce
Or no?
them. I don't think they're, Imean, they're having fun, like
some my friends go collect canswith me and crush them. And I
(06:52):
think they like crushing cans.
And I tried to introduce them tofollow the garbage men with me
all around my neighborhood, butI don't think they like that.
They like the metal can stuff.
Katie Kurpanek (07:10):
Yeah, that makes sense, and that's pretty cool,
because, like, not everybodyneeds to like the same stuff,
but it is fun when we can showpeople that like, doing
something that's moresustainable or eco friendly has
a lot of fun benefits to it. Sothat's pretty cool that they get
to see that. Yeah. I mean, youknow a lot about, like, trash
(07:31):
and recycling and composting. Isthere anything about that that
you want to share with ourlisteners?
Fenton (07:41):
I've, I've tried-- This sounds pretty silly, but I've
tried composting in my backyardand it didn't turn out well. So
now I'm trying to find asolution, how to compost. And I
just know about a lot about howto recycle. Like a lot of people
recycle plastic bags, butthey're not supposed to.
Katie Kurpanek (08:04):
Yeah, I know, I'm surprised sometimes by how
many times that happens. Andlike, plastic bags are really
bad for those machines that endup, like, sorting through all of
the recycling. So I'm glad thatyou know that. But yeah, okay,
so your your kind of nextproject is like, you're gonna
learn more about composting, itsounds like?
Fenton (08:26):
yeah, yeah,
Katie Kurpanek (08:28):
that's awesome.
I remember seeing the tumblerthat you had in your backyard,
and then we had gone and lookedat the recycle- or the
composting bin that was in myyard. So it's been pretty fun to
talk to you about differentideas. If you could tell the
families listening, and ifthere's other kids that are
listening and inspired by you,Fenton, if you could tell them
anything that you think thatthey should know about the waste
(08:50):
management system, what wouldyou tell them?
Fenton (08:55):
It's a big operation.
You don't just, a lot of peoplethrow it in the trash can and
never care about it again. Itdoesn't disappear. It goes, it
biodegrades, but it doesn't, itcreates harmful emissions in our
air, and the more trash we make,the more emissions in the air.
Katie Kurpanek (09:18):
Mm, hmm. So it has a really big impact on like
the earth and climate change. Isthat what you're talking about?
Fenton (09:25):
Yes
Katie Kurpanek (09:26):
yeah. And when people throw something away, I
don't even like that phrase,because it makes us think that
if we throw something away, it'sjust gone, right? But it sounds
like you're saying it's not justaway, like it didn't disappear.
It goes somewhere, right?
Fenton (09:41):
Yes!
Katie Kurpanek (09:42):
yeah. Have you ever been to like a really giant
dump, like a landfill?
Fenton (09:48):
With my grandpa in Tucson, Arizona, I went to the
landfill with him. Yes.
Katie Kurpanek (09:56):
What did you think of that?
Fenton (09:58):
It was awesome. Like they got the huge bulldozer over
and the spikes on the wheels.
It's almost as big as my foot.
Katie Kurpanek (10:15):
Oh my goodness,
Fenton (10:16):
when it drives into the ground.
Katie Kurpanek (10:19):
that's so, so cool. I love that. I feel like
it would be important foreverybody to go see a landfill
at some point, just if they'venever done it. I feel like it's
really eye opening. And there'sa lot of cool stuff you could
learn.
Fenton (10:31):
Yeah, um, it's a, it was a huge landfill. They said it
has about, um, 100 years oflife, if we keep up this amount
of garbage, but if we make more,that means we have, that
(10:52):
landfill lasts less time. But ifwe make a change that could,
maybe the landfill can last moretime.
Katie Kurpanek (11:05):
Oh, that's a really good point. I hadn't
thought about that very much. Isthere, Did that inspire you to
do anything at your home? Like,are you trying to make any
changes so that you and yourfamily produce less waste?
Fenton (11:20):
Um, yes, I think, um, my mom's got, like, passionate
about, um, not buying wastefulstuff. Um, for example, she had
a party, and she was thinking ofbuying these beads, but then
(11:40):
they had a big impact on theenvironment, so that shows me,
she cares about the environment,and I and I honestly try to
waste less too.
Katie Kurpanek (11:50):
Wow. Fenton that's amazing. You guys are
learning so much from each otheras a family, and that, like
fills my whole heart. I thinkthat's amazing. You are such a
joy to talk to. I'm so happythat I know you, Fenton, and I
know that my almost four yearold son really loves you and is
learning from you all the time,like you have already inspired
(12:12):
him to start collecting cans,and he's always so excited to
like, go to your house and helpyou crush them. So I'm excited
just to see who else you inspirein life and where you go from
here. Do you have any idea oflike, what you want to be or do
when you grow up?
Fenton (12:30):
So my idea is, um, you need experience. So maybe be a
trash man, the one that collectsthe trash at you home for
experience, but then I want togo on to managing.
Katie Kurpanek (12:49):
That's awesome.
That's so cool. Fenton, I thinkit's amazing that you have big
dreams like that for one day,and you're not waiting till
you're a grown up to do reallyimportant things, like you're
already making such a differencein the neighborhood. So I'm
proud of you. I'm thankful toknow you, and thank you for
being on the show. And toanybody listening, if you feel
(13:10):
like Fenton's story is soinspiring, could you take a
minute to just text this episoderight now to somebody that you
know, maybe with another ecominded kid, or just a family
that might be inspired? Justsend this episode to one person,
and let's see how many people wecan reach and inspire. If you
(13:31):
would also like to submit astory that you want to share on
the show with your own ecominded kid, then click the link
in the description, it'll belinked below, and you can fill
out the form, and then I willget back to you. But thanks for
listening, and we'll be backwith another episode soon. Thank
you, Fenton for being here!
Fenton (13:52):
Thank you!
Katie Kurpanek (13:53):
Bye!
Fenton (13:54):
Bye!
Welcome to this show, Fenton! Okay, we are
(00:04):
officially kicking off ecominded kids, which is a little
series that I'm excited to do,because I think there's a lot of
kids out there that are likeyou, and they're doing amazing
things to take care of the earthand the community around them,
and I want to share theirstories, so I'm excited you get
to be the first one.
Fenton (00:24):
That's exciting!
Katie Kurpanek (00:26):
Thanks for being on here. Okay, so where we live,
you are kind of known as, like,the neighborhood trash guy,
right? So can you kind of tellus, like, how did you get that
nickname?
Fenton (00:39):
Um, I've lived in Washington, DC, and I saw the
trucks, and I really liked them,and then I moved here. And then
now, since I'm older, I take outpeople's trash and all that, and
follow the garbage man aroundour neighborhood.
Katie Kurpanek (00:59):
That's so cool.
And the garbage man lets youactually, like, help load the
trash onto their haulers, right?
Fenton (01:06):
Yeah, um, I get to run the controls on the back of the
truck and crush it.
Katie Kurpanek (01:13):
That's awesome.
So okay, how did you originallyget started with this? You said
you lived in Washington, andthen you moved here. But how did
you like-- did you just go up tothe trash man one day and ask
him if you could help or, like,how did you start that?
Fenton (01:29):
I started liking garbage trucks when I was about two
years old. I don't exactly knowhow I got interested in trash.
Katie Kurpanek (01:41):
That's okay!
Fenton (01:42):
I think I just saw the garbage trucks and liked them.
Katie Kurpanek (01:45):
That's amazing.
So it's been, like your wholelife. Because how old are you
now?
Fenton (01:49):
Eight, about nine in a month.
Katie Kurpanek (01:53):
Oh my gosh, that's so, so cool. So okay,
what do you do with all of thecans that you collect? Because,
like, I know what you do, butpeople listening might not know,
like you kind of walk around theentire neighborhood, not just
our street, and you collectcans, but what do you do with
them?
Fenton (02:11):
I take them, I crush them. I have a little spot my
backyard behind our shed, whereI crush them, bag them, and then
when I get about seven bags ofcrushed cans, I haul them to a
metal recycler, a place thatbuys metal, cans and steel and
(02:32):
copper.
Katie Kurpanek (02:34):
And then you get paid for that, right?
Fenton (02:36):
Yes,
Katie Kurpanek (02:37):
That is so cool.
What are you going to do withall that money?
Fenton (02:40):
I just save it!
Katie Kurpanek (02:42):
That's so smart of you.
Fenton (02:44):
All I really spend it on is to invest in that business.
Katie Kurpanek (02:48):
So how do you invest in it?
Fenton (02:51):
I buy I buy new garbage cans to keep it tidy. My I
bought the can crusher. I buybags.
Katie Kurpanek (03:02):
that's awesome.
So the can crusher, for anybodywho doesn't know, so you have a
shed in your backyard, and thecan crusher is probably, like,
you know, this big, like, thesize of a typical can. And it's
so simple. You just, like, screwthat into the shed, and it has a
handle, and you just put a canon there, and you crush it down
flat, right? Yeah, yeah. And sothen you fill up bags and whole
(03:23):
trash cans worth of those flatcans, right?
Fenton (03:30):
Each bag is worth 40 gallons,
Katie Kurpanek (03:33):
40 gallons?!
Fenton (03:34):
Yeah, they're big bags.
Katie Kurpanek (03:36):
Oh my goodness,
Fenton (03:37):
yeah!
Katie Kurpanek (03:37):
Is that kind of crazy to you? That like we go
through that many cans all thetime, like you're constantly
collecting that many cans fromthe neighbors, right?
Fenton (03:47):
I have about 10 people that give me cans. Yeah, we make
a lot of cans. Some make morethan others.
Katie Kurpanek (03:54):
Okay, I've heard from a couple of the other
neighbors that sometimes youeven educate them about their
waste hauler, like their wastemanagement person, and you think
that they would do better toswitch to somebody else. Can you
talk a little bit about that?
Fenton (04:10):
So for example, one one person a few houses down on the
street, they have RepublicServices, another waste hauler,
and I've tried talking them intogetting Waste Management,
(04:31):
because Waste Management paystheir employees better. They're
nicer, it's cheaper, so it'sthere's a lot of reasons for
that, and it's helping everyone.
It's helping risk management. Itmakes me happy. Um, it makes,
we're saving them money.
Katie Kurpanek (04:57):
that's awesome, Fenton. I love. Love your heart.
I love that you care that muchabout, even like the people
working in waste management, andnot just yourself or this
neighborhood, like you reallycare about everybody. So how did
you start researching that?
Like, did your parents supportyou? Or did you just start
researching it on your own?
Fenton (05:19):
I've been researching it on my own, the trashmen are
nicer, and they also get paidmore at Waste Management. I've
seen a few Republic drivers andWaste Management drivers and
Waste Management drivers are waynicer, by far.
Katie Kurpanek (05:41):
Interesting.
Okay, that's cool that likeyou're taking your personal
experience and then sharing thatwith other people, just in case
that would persuade them. Ithink that's really cool. Um, so
how are your parents supportingyou with all of this? Because
you've been doing this kind ofstuff for years now.
Fenton (06:01):
Um, I mean, they're really supportive. Um, my dad
hauls me to the metal recycler.
Even though, I don't think helikes it. He hauls me there.
It's a little creepy. Andthey've just supported me like
they care about, they care aboutit. They care about my passion.
Katie Kurpanek (06:22):
That's so cool.
Do you feel like your friendscare about this at all because
they see that you care about it?
Fenton (06:28):
um, I'd say, yeah, yeah, um. I mean, I try to introduce
Or no?
them. I don't think they're, Imean, they're having fun, like
some my friends go collect canswith me and crush them. And I
(06:52):
think they like crushing cans.
And I tried to introduce them tofollow the garbage men with me
all around my neighborhood, butI don't think they like that.
They like the metal can stuff.
Katie Kurpanek (07:10):
Yeah, that makes sense, and that's pretty cool,
because, like, not everybodyneeds to like the same stuff,
but it is fun when we can showpeople that like, doing
something that's moresustainable or eco friendly has
a lot of fun benefits to it. Sothat's pretty cool that they get
to see that. Yeah. I mean, youknow a lot about, like, trash
(07:31):
and recycling and composting. Isthere anything about that that
you want to share with ourlisteners?
Fenton (07:41):
I've, I've tried-- This sounds pretty silly, but I've
tried composting in my backyardand it didn't turn out well. So
now I'm trying to find asolution, how to compost. And I
just know about a lot about howto recycle. Like a lot of people
recycle plastic bags, butthey're not supposed to.
Katie Kurpanek (08:04):
Yeah, I know, I'm surprised sometimes by how
many times that happens. Andlike, plastic bags are really
bad for those machines that endup, like, sorting through all of
the recycling. So I'm glad thatyou know that. But yeah, okay,
so your your kind of nextproject is like, you're gonna
learn more about composting, itsounds like?
Fenton (08:26):
yeah, yeah,
Katie Kurpanek (08:28):
that's awesome.
I remember seeing the tumblerthat you had in your backyard,
and then we had gone and lookedat the recycle- or the
composting bin that was in myyard. So it's been pretty fun to
talk to you about differentideas. If you could tell the
families listening, and ifthere's other kids that are
listening and inspired by you,Fenton, if you could tell them
anything that you think thatthey should know about the waste
(08:50):
management system, what wouldyou tell them?
Fenton (08:55):
It's a big operation.
You don't just, a lot of peoplethrow it in the trash can and
never care about it again. Itdoesn't disappear. It goes, it
biodegrades, but it doesn't, itcreates harmful emissions in our
air, and the more trash we make,the more emissions in the air.
Katie Kurpanek (09:18):
Mm, hmm. So it has a really big impact on like
the earth and climate change. Isthat what you're talking about?
Fenton (09:25):
Yes
Katie Kurpanek (09:26):
yeah. And when people throw something away, I
don't even like that phrase,because it makes us think that
if we throw something away, it'sjust gone, right? But it sounds
like you're saying it's not justaway, like it didn't disappear.
It goes somewhere, right?
Fenton (09:41):
Yes!
Katie Kurpanek (09:42):
yeah. Have you ever been to like a really giant
dump, like a landfill?
Fenton (09:48):
With my grandpa in Tucson, Arizona, I went to the
landfill with him. Yes.
Katie Kurpanek (09:56):
What did you think of that?
Fenton (09:58):
It was awesome. Like they got the huge bulldozer over
and the spikes on the wheels.
It's almost as big as my foot.
Katie Kurpanek (10:15):
Oh my goodness,
Fenton (10:16):
when it drives into the ground.
Katie Kurpanek (10:19):
that's so, so cool. I love that. I feel like
it would be important foreverybody to go see a landfill
at some point, just if they'venever done it. I feel like it's
really eye opening. And there'sa lot of cool stuff you could
learn.
Fenton (10:31):
Yeah, um, it's a, it was a huge landfill. They said it
has about, um, 100 years oflife, if we keep up this amount
of garbage, but if we make more,that means we have, that
(10:52):
landfill lasts less time. But ifwe make a change that could,
maybe the landfill can last moretime.
Katie Kurpanek (11:05):
Oh, that's a really good point. I hadn't
thought about that very much. Isthere, Did that inspire you to
do anything at your home? Like,are you trying to make any
changes so that you and yourfamily produce less waste?
Fenton (11:20):
Um, yes, I think, um, my mom's got, like, passionate
about, um, not buying wastefulstuff. Um, for example, she had
a party, and she was thinking ofbuying these beads, but then
(11:40):
they had a big impact on theenvironment, so that shows me,
she cares about the environment,and I and I honestly try to
waste less too.
Katie Kurpanek (11:50):
Wow. Fenton that's amazing. You guys are
learning so much from each otheras a family, and that, like
fills my whole heart. I thinkthat's amazing. You are such a
joy to talk to. I'm so happythat I know you, Fenton, and I
know that my almost four yearold son really loves you and is
learning from you all the time,like you have already inspired
(12:12):
him to start collecting cans,and he's always so excited to
like, go to your house and helpyou crush them. So I'm excited
just to see who else you inspirein life and where you go from
here. Do you have any idea oflike, what you want to be or do
when you grow up?
Fenton (12:30):
So my idea is, um, you need experience. So maybe be a
trash man, the one that collectsthe trash at you home for
experience, but then I want togo on to managing.
Katie Kurpanek (12:49):
That's awesome.
That's so cool. Fenton, I thinkit's amazing that you have big
dreams like that for one day,and you're not waiting till
you're a grown up to do reallyimportant things, like you're
already making such a differencein the neighborhood. So I'm
proud of you. I'm thankful toknow you, and thank you for
being on the show. And toanybody listening, if you feel
(13:10):
like Fenton's story is soinspiring, could you take a
minute to just text this episoderight now to somebody that you
know, maybe with another ecominded kid, or just a family
that might be inspired? Justsend this episode to one person,
and let's see how many people wecan reach and inspire. If you
(13:31):
would also like to submit astory that you want to share on
the show with your own ecominded kid, then click the link
in the description, it'll belinked below, and you can fill
out the form, and then I willget back to you. But thanks for
listening, and we'll be backwith another episode soon. Thank
you, Fenton for being here!
Fenton (13:52):
Thank you!
Katie Kurpanek (13:53):
Bye!
Fenton (13:54):
Bye!
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Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.