Life
Teen collects thousands of cans and bottles for his college tuition then pays it forward to others
When it came time to pay for his college education Genshu's parents told him to collect cans and bottles to fund it, but then he turned around and made it something even bigger.
Colby Maxwell
08.03.21

As wildfires rage across the world and things seem to heat up everywhere, recycling may be back in the limelight for individuals and businesses alike. While it may not sound all that exciting to come up with new ways and means of recycling, one Hawaiin teen has a real knack for it!

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Genshu Price is a recycling king.

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“It was my dad’s idea to collect cans and bottles to fund my college tuition,” he told KHNL.

Genshu is from Punaluu and the little collection soon turned into something MUCH bigger than he expected. Instead of using it as his own way to make money, he thought about the benefit of opening it to others! It could help them raise money AND increase reusability in his area.

“After a while, we figured that we could branch it off and make it for other students. That way it can be bigger,” he said. “It could help so many people.”

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Now, the business has grown exponentially.

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When they first started collecting items, they were SUPER excited to reach a daily goal of having a pickup truck filled. Now, not all that much later, they are regularly sending out box trucks filled with recyclables. They travel all over Oahu to find things to recycle!

Their biggest “hauls” come from one organization, Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii.

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SCH is a beach cleaning operation that regularly sweeps the beaches of the island to keep things pristine. As you could imagine, plastic and other recyclables from all over the world end up on their beaches out in the Pacific.

Within 6-months, they’ve topped 5,000 pounds of material.

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In addition to helping with a serious problem, they are also raising money! All of the money they raise goes into the Bottles4College account that helps people go to school. What’s more, Genshu has also started making films about his work.

He already has a documentary that showed his work and his long-term goals.

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“It takes 1 to 2 million cans and bottles to send one to two kids on a fully-funded ride to college,” he said.

As they convert into a non-profit, they are putting together a plan to start awarding students with their scholarships!

“He wants it to be a fair process,” Maria Price said. “He wants it to be for students who want to strive, regardless of background and who want this opportunity.”

The possibilities aren’t far off, either.

With the rate that they are collecting items, they are on a fast track to award their first scholarship next year. It’s going to be a huge milestone for them and the culmination of a TON of hard work on the Price family’s end.

“I am super excited for that. I really want that to happen,” he said.

Their next step will be incorporating individual donations into their collections!

They are hoping to outfit a box truck to act as a portable drop-off station at local malls and shopping centers! It looks like Hawaii will be greener than ever, with Genshu’s help, of course!

Check out the video below!

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