BRONX, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — A five-year-old is fighting the war on trash with the help of her aunt. Napkins, a cigarette box, wrappers, a bottle, all a normal sight just sitting on a sidewalk outside Seton Park. “Don’t litter anymore,” that’s a demand from 5-year-old Pepper Munoz. She’s a little Bronx girl with a big mission. “I need to protect the world from getting dirty,” said Pepper. It’s called the Karina and Pepper Mission. A project by two family members to spruce up the streets of their Riverdale neighborhood. This clean-up effort began about two weeks ago after Karina noticed her niece Pepper littering and asked her why. “She told me, ‘Karina, it’s because other people do it so I can do it too.’ That made me think no, that’s not acceptable, just because they do it doesn’t mean you have to do it,” said Karina. So she decided to teach Pepper a lesson by taking her out twice a week to pick up any trash they find along the way. The pair is putting up signs all over the neighborhood hoping people stop, read it, and take part in their mission. “We reside in this neighborhood and have noticed the overwhelming amounts of trash on our sidewalks lately and its unacceptable,” said Karina. “I feel happy we picked up the trash, but I feel angry that the people always have to throw the trash,” said Pepper. Pepper is learning hard work pays off because this trash turns into treasure. At the end of each week, her aunt gives her $5 to buy whatever she wants. “I buy chips and cookies,” said Pepper. But Karina says the best reward is when others join in. “I’ve actually had people contact me like you’ve motivated me, I actually started picking up in my neighborhood which is awesome,” said Karina. And teaching Pepper at a young age the powerful feeling of making a difference. If you’d like to join Karina and Pepper in trash pick up, they meet Mondays at 6 p.m. and Saturday’s at 11 a.m. in front of the CVS on West 235th street near Johnson Avenue in the Bronx. They can also be found on Facebook.
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