Conroe Courier August 14, 2023

A 13-year old New Caney entrepreneur known as the “Garbage Kid,” joined Houston rapper Paul Wall and businessman Johnny Dang for a back-to-school event. 

Cars lined up Sunday afternoon, in front of Johnny Dang and Co. Fine Custom Jewelry on 6224 Richmond Ave. in Houston, where children were given the choice of a variety of colored backpacks — some mesh material, others clear and see-through. 

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For his first back-to-school event, Anthony “AJ” Gonzalez, also known as the “Garbage Kid,” partnered with Wall and Dang to hand out 300 backpacks with school supplies and produce bags Sunday afternoon, according to a Facebook post by Gonzalez. 

During an interview with OnScene TV reporters, Wall called Gonzalez an inspiration to everyone in Houston. 

“He’s been viral for his hustler’s determination, with just cleaning up garbage cans in the community,” Wall said. “He’s a true inspiration to everybody in H-Town, especially to me. You see him out there getting it and really just making a difference in his community.”

Both Wall and Dang, who sponsored the event, host a back-to-school drive annually. 

Gonzalez started cleaning garbage bins to raise money for sporting equipment, clothes and school supplies for kids in Houston. He first got the idea to clean garbage bins after seeing someone on TikTok do it for money. 

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Within two weeks, his story went viral. 

His story was shared after his birthday on June 17 by Grizzy’s Hood News, a popular local personality who posts new and crowdsourced videos and information from around the Houston area. Soon after, FOX 26 produced a story about Gonzalez’s small business, where Wall first discovered him.

Between Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, Gonzalez has more than 100,000 followers. 

“He’s getting his hustle on to give back to others,” Wall said. “(He) is truly an inspiration, a true story of ‘go-getterness’ and grit.”