A Bronx aunt and her 5-year-old niece have made it their mission to clean up trash from their neighborhood.
The duo scan the sidewalks of Riverdale every Saturday and Monday and remove trash discarded on the ground.
Fiver-year-old Pepper Munoz and her Aunt Karina began their effort weeks ago and it started as a teaching opportunity.
"I noticed when Pepper was eating a snack, she would just throw the wrapper of that snack on the ground instead of in the trash can," Karina says.
Pepper's aunt wanted to correct her niece’s behavior, something she says the 5-year-old learned from watching other children litter. Karina began teaching Munoz how to properly discard waste.
Soon, the two began cleaning up other people's trash off of the sidewalks and their campaign ‘Karina and Pepper Mission’ officially began.
Karina says they are now joined by several volunteers each time they go out to clean, and people have reached out to her on social media who are inspired by their efforts and have began picking up trash in their Bronx neighborhoods.
The two gather with volunteers at a local pharmacy in Riverdale before heading out to clean.