Sherman Oaks Mother Pays for Tuscany Trip Via Recycling

Photo by Borys Khamitsevych via Shutterstock

Next time you roll your eyes at the neighborhood bag person, causing a raucous with his bottles and cans, roll them right back into place and show some respect. Cheryl and Bill Davidson of Sherman Oaks are heading to Tuscany with recyclables as their main funding source.

A mother of two with a mission, Cheryl has been collecting discarded bottles, cans and jars and taking them to a recycling center in the East Valley for the last three years. The recyclables are then crushed and weighed, and Cheryl leaves with $25 to $30 in profit. The money is added to her Tuscany Fund, and it topped $5,600 two weeks ago.

Except for their flight costs, the entire trip will be paid for by her recycling efforts, everything "down to the gelato we're going to eat," said the Cheryl, according to LA Daily News. The couple plans to use their credit card air miles to fly business class.

Initially, Cheryl's children were embarrassed by her "bag lady" habits, as they so kindly dubbed her. But after learning of her little fund, the kids aren't laughing anymore. "It was very embarrassing," said Cheryl's daughter, Lindsey. "My dad, (brother) Jake and I would make fun of her, but now we're all doing it. Our friends started saving their bottles and cans for her, too."

After being "ticked off" by her doubtful kids, Cheryl proposed to them, "What if I could save enough to pay for a trip to Italy with Dad I want to make in 2011? They laughed me off. The Tuscany Fund was opened at the bank the next day."

Cheryl is diligent in her collection habits. "I don't go anywhere without bags in my car or one hung over my shoulder. When they're filled, I shove things into my pockets."

Enjoy your trip, Cheryl. You're a champion, and you deserve it.

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By Lauren Lloyd in News on October 13, 2011 4:40 PM 0 Comments

Comments [rss]

Mike C.

GLASS WARFARE!

Instead of recycling anymore, I save these for my gardener and my abuelitas. It's much appreciated, and I think it's going to a better cause than whatever contractor is making those five cents back. When you grow up poor, it doesn't make sense to literally throw away money.

Whether or not she lives in Sherman Oaks, I commend her.

lfnfrtank

she is a scavenger, it is illegal to pull recyclables from the blue bin. Furthermore,she is taking $$ away from the poor, that do this to eat. She should get a real job and quit stealing from the blue bin !!!!!

katenonymous

Where does it say she's pulling things from the blue bin? You're making a huge leap. And how is she taking money from the poor? Are you saying scavenging is legal if you're poor? Or are you saying that she should collect recyclables and then give them to the poor?