Kīhei student helps remote island school through recycling

A Kīhei fifth grader is turning recyclable cans and bottles into learning opportunities and joy for students on a remote island 3,000 miles away. 

Inspired by his uncle who runs a scrap metal business, Waggoner began sorting and returning cans and bottles as a simple way to earn extra money during the pandemic shutdowns.

Not long after, a family trip to the Cook Islands gave his efforts new purpose. While visiting Mitiaro — an outer island with just 130 residents and one weekly flight in and out on a 12-passenger plane — Waggoner attended school alongside local students and quickly saw the lack of essential supplies.

“When we needed a dry-erase marker, it took forever just to find one,” he said.

Among other things, Mitiaro faces a logistical challenge: The island’s lone supply boat arrives only twice a year, making it difficult to secure basic tools like protractors and compasses. 

The experience stayed with Waggoner. Back home, he decided to use his recycling money to support Mitiaro’s school. What began as a small recycling project had suddenly become a bridge connecting two communities more than 3,000 miles apart.

To make it happen, Waggoner built a full recycling system at home, with bins for glass, aluminum and plastic, and a handy can crusher. He said plastics are the toughest — “crinkles,” or bottles under 16.9 ounces — have to be sorted separately. 

Through his Facebook page, Ridge’s Recycling Services, he now collects from regular clients, including households and a local restaurant that donates all its glass bottles. He sorts everything himself, and has used the proceeds to bring valuable school supplies and toys directly to Mitiaro’s students.

Last summer, nearly two years after his first visit, he returned to the island’s one-room schoolhouse with more than $500 worth of supplies funded entirely through his recycling work.

“Even small toys like bubbles are things they don’t get very often,” he said.

Waggoner is a fifth grade student at Hawai‘i Technology Academy. When his class was studying seabirds and coastal beach health, he shared his message about the importance of recycling with his peers.

“Seeing Ridge passionate and already making a real-world impact makes our whole class proud,” said his teacher, Melinda White.