Bottles4College Converts Recycling Fees to College Scholarships
A teen’s community recycling program has made college possible for other local students.
Genshu Price at the Kualoa Ranch recycling area. Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino
Genshu Price began collecting recyclables at age 10 to save money for college. Yet after doing the math, he realized it would take him decades to accumulate a sufficient fund from the 5-cent redemptions—if he did it alone.
Six years later, he’s still going strong with the recycling, but he now has community support to raise money for other students needing financial aid for college. His nonprofit, Bottles4College, which he formed at age 13, has recycled more than 1.75 million cans and bottles, equating to more than 140,000 pounds of trash diverted from landfills. Price alone sorts up to 15,000 recyclables every week.
Since its inception, the organization has granted $43,500 in scholarships to O‘ahu students, plus $10,000 to those affected by the Maui wildfires. “We’re raising the accessibility of higher education,” says Price, a student at Myron B. Thompson Academy, a public charter school in Honolulu. “Many students tell us that because of what we’re doing, because we’ve inspired them, they’re actually considering college when they initially thought of not applying.”
To stay informed about upcoming recycling events, follow the nonprofit’s Instagram, @bottles4college. The next big recycling drive will take place at Windward Mall on Jan. 4, 2025—say happy birthday to Price if you see him there.
“Anybody, from keiki to kūpuna, can make an impact through our platform,” Price says.
