Meet Justin Imamura | Founder & President

We had the good fortune of connecting with Justin Imamura and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Justin, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
The thought process behind starting my own non-profit started back in 2016. In my daily commute to work to Downtown San Jose I noticed an excessive amount of trash and illegal dumping happening throughout the City. It was getting progressively worse and worse. I did some research to find out who was in charge of keeping the public streets/waterways clean. I found out that the amount of trash was so excessive that the City/Public services could not keep up with the demand. After I conducted that research I was connected with a few local non-profits that keep the waterways clean in the Bay Area through conservation and education. After meeting with the waterway partners I was inspired through their mentorship to start my own non-profit to make it easy for kids and adults to volunteer anytime and have fun while doing it.

My background comes from the music and entertainment industry. I wanted to bring the art and energy of music and entertainment to our non-profit by creating the “brand” that is inspired by “punk rock” culture and energy, Our mission is “cleaning up our World, one piece of trash at a time.” Our values as an organization are as follows:

Love: We believe that love is the foundation for all we do.

Conservation: We serve our planet by helping to preserve our natural resources and wild environments.

Collaboration: We know that doing life together is better than doing it alone.

Leadership: We empower others to make global changes.

Innovation: We support the implementation of new ideas that better our environment.

Back in 1999, my Eagle Scout project was to conduct a neighborhood cleanup in an area of San Jose was known for a lot of illegal dumping and neglect in City services. I decided to lead a neighborhood trash cleanup complete with painting emergency curbs red that were fading, taking off illegal graffiti and hosting a free community BBQ for the neighborhood and all volunteers. I had no idea that the Eagle Project that I led in 1999 would turn into a non-profit years later!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The Trash Punx is one of the most unique volunteer organizations cleaning up illegal dumping in our streets, parks and waterways. Our Board is a diverse group of leaders that possesses a love for conservation, music and servant leadership. When a volunteer attends one of our events they never forget the way they feel while cleaning up the environment. We always have snacks, music, laughter and fun at every event! Since 2017, The Trash Punx has received a Commendation by City of San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo and City Council, San Jose Conservation Corps Resilient Community Award and the Volunteer Recognition Award presented by Valley Water.

Our organization has built a strong partnership with the City of San Jose and Santa Clara County through our events and outreach. We are thankful for our mentors that have led us on our journey and who continues to guide us.

In 2023, we are excited to announce that we will be going global and working with a group in Africa that will be inspiring the next generation of conservationists. What we do as an organization here in the Bay Area will be echoing out through the World.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If I had a friend visiting the Bay Area I would first start off with a cup of coffee at Roy’s Station Coffee in the heart of Japantown in San Jose. Next, we would take a scenic drive down Highway 17 through the Redwoods to Santa Cruz and take a walk on the famous Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk that opened in 1907. We would eat their famous corn dogs and salt water taffy while enjoying the rides and beach. After that, we would venture on down to Monterey to visit the wharf and grab a tasty brew at Dust Bowl Brewery. Then, we would finish out the day with a drive back to San Jose to experience a San Jose Sharks game in the evening. After the game, we would venture back to Japantown for late night karaoke at Bamboo 7 and hot sake.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I started in the Scouting program as a young Tiger Cub and became an Eagle Scout. The Scouts teach principles that I use every single day. They teach conservation of our environment at a very early age and have continued to inspire me to take care of our environment and wild places. If it wasn’t for the Scouting program instilling these positive values and planting the “seed” of conservation at an early age there would not be a “Trash Punx” organization today.

Website: https://www.thetrashpunx.org

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheTrashPunx

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thetrashpunx

Twitter: https://twitter.com/thetrashpunx

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheTrashPunx

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTrashPunx

Other: https://tiktok.com/@thetrashpunx

Image Credits
Adam Brioza