8yo makes first moves to getting on the property ladder
Cooper Riri has taken the matter of rising property prices into his own hands.
Ipswich
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RISING property prices across the state are leading many parents to wonder if their children will ever be able to afford to buy a home, so one young man is taking matters into his own hands - at the ripe old age of eight.
Cooper Riri from Brentwood Forest has set himself an ambitious goal to save enough money for a house deposit before he finishes high school.
He's too young to get a job but Cooper has been doing rubbish runs with his father, Karl Riri, since mid-2018 to trade in his neighbours' rubbish for cash.
"Cooper and I regularly go around our community and local businesses to collect items which can be recycled, reused and resold,” Mr Riri said.
"This includes materials like scrap metal, furniture and most recycling bottles for the Containers for Change scheme.
"The response from the community has been wonderful. Cooper now has about 11 regular customers he collects recyclable rubbish from.”
Since starting his recycling project Cooper has been able to save more than $1500 towards his first home deposit.
As well as saving for his goal, Cooper's activities are having a positive impact on the environment.
"Collecting recyclable rubbish helps me to get closer to my goal as well as help our environment,” he said.
"By recycling as much as we can it means less stuff will end up in landfill, and the more we can do to help the environment the better off our country and world will be when I am an adult.”
Brentwood Forest's development manager Peter MacLeod said: "When (we) heard about Cooper and his recycling project, we wanted to support him by raising awareness in and around our Brentwood Forest community.
"It is truly inspiring to see one of our youngest residents doing their part in protecting our community from plastic and rubbish pollution,” Mr MacLeod said.
To follow Cooper on his journey: facebook.com/number1recyclingkid
Originally published as 8yo makes first moves to getting on the property ladder
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