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10-year-old granted birthday wish to be garbage man for a day in Willimantic

The Casella Waste Systems crew in Willimantic helped to make Axton Nizeull, a fourth grader on the autism spectrum, garbage man for a day.

WILLIMANTIC, Conn. — Axton Nizeull has always had an affection for the power and the prowess of garbage trucks, so his family made his 10th birthday a celebration to remember. 

Axton’s grandmother made the initial contact with Casella Waste Systems in Willimantic and the crew there put the plan into place: he was made garbage man for a day.

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After gearing Axton up with gloves, a safety vest, and a hard hat, Mark Di Mauro, the division manager at Casella Waste Systems said, “everyone wants to be a police officer or a firefighter, and today we have a gentleman who wants to be a garbage man. He is working taking carts to the curb, he is in a truck, he is a garbage man for a day!”

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Axton, a fourth grader who is on the autism spectrum, was especially fond of being in the trash truck and blowing the air horn – among his other duties for the day. 

Shana Nizeull, Axton’s mother said, “He is incredibly smart and sweet and he loves garbage trucks." She added that “He was a garbage for Halloween last year and now he is one for real.”

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The crew at Casella Waste Systems also surprised Axton with a birthday cake and pepperoni pizza – his favorite dish.

After Axton thanked the team at Casella, Di Mauro, the division manager added, “Just being out here and showing what we do as a community, making a little boy happy today, it doesn’t get better than this.”

Jimmy Altman is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at jaltman@fox61.comFollow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.

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