Waste Management makes Colorado Springs boy’s dream come true

Trash is 5-year-old Kameron Snead’s treasure, so when Colorado Springs Waste Management invited him to tour the facility, it was his dream come true.

Unlike most kids his age, Snead spends his free time sorting and organizing cardboard and plastic. Snead even set up an intricate recycling station in the basement of his home.

When he’s not taking out the trash, Snead can be found watching garbage truck videos on YouTube or playing with his collection of garbage trucks.

Snead’s passion for recycling has inspired many members of the community, including Traci Abeyta, who runs an at-home daycare center.

“I was inspired to start a program in my childcare so that other kids in the program could see that they could make a difference as well,” Abeyta said.

Abeyta has invited Snead to come to her daycare to teach the kids about recycling. She plans to call the program “Kameron’s Collection.”

Snead’s mom uploaded a video of the 5-year-old to Facebook that shows him explaining the recycling process.

When Waste Management saw the video, they invited Snead to come to the center for a visit. Southern Colorado Waste Management District Manager David Bernal said they saw Snead’s passion for recycling and knew they needed to invite him out to see the big trucks.

“We just saw his enthusiasm with his trucks and he said one little bit about how one of his was broken, as a team we were like hey, can we give this kid a truck? So yeah, let’s just invite him out to see the big trucks,” Bernal said.

Bernal and his team gifted Snead with a Waste Management vest, hat, and toy truck. The 5-year-old was amazed by all the trucks at the facility.

With some assistance, Snead was in the driver’s seat unloading trucks and picking up trash cans. Snead says he learned all about Waste Management from his iPad and has started to learn the importance of recycling.

“It saves the Earth. It keeps the Earth and all of us,” Snead said.