For
his seventh birthday, Michael Wong-Sasso got down and dirty, totally
trashed--well, you know.
The grade schooler is passionately interested in garbage trucks,
compost and recycling -- and dreams of being a trash hauler when
he grows up. So he convinced his parents to bypass the usual kiddie
venues and toss him a party on Saturday at a real dump.
Landfill operator Browning-Ferris Industries agreed to the unusual
plan, and set about preparing an odor- and trash-free spot on
the edge of the Sunshine Canyon Landfill in suburban Los Angeles,
wheeling in piles of fresh dirt to accommodate 82 little feet.
Michael and 40 of his friends were so happy as they scampered
over mounds of dirt, pushing a variety of toy back hoes, bulldozers
and dump trucks. The kids also made animals from homemade clay
and recycled materials, and got an up-close tour of the landfill,
Sophia Wong, Michael's mother said.
"In addition to that we had a ranger bring live animals
native to the landfill. He brought ... a black widow spider, a
python, a stuffed rattler, a falcon, a dwarf rabbit. He brought
pine cones and showed where some had been eaten. "
Wong and Sasso are restaurant owners and never had a special
interest in trash until Michael, at age two, began showing an
unusual interest in trailing garbage trucks through the neighborhood,
his mother said, noting that "trash" and "truck"
were among his first words.
"As a 4-year-old he wrote a book about our local trash collector,
Gilbert Gregory, and what he does during his daily route,"
she said.
(Agencies)
Updated: 2002-12-11 01:00
邁克和他的四十個小伙伴們在土堆上歡快地奔跑。他們開心地把玩具鋤耕機、推土機和垃圾車在土堆上開來開去。孩子們還用自制的黏土和可循環利用材料做成小動物。邁克的母親索菲婭把這些看在了眼里，她說，孩子們和垃圾有了近距離的接觸。