“Our troop was looking into energy issues, and we took a visit to Rumpke trash dump and saw how much land the dump takes up — even saw a boat there,” said Troop 46242 leader Annette Clark. “We also talked about what it costs to make new items. The girls really liked the idea of not only recycling the normal stuff like plastic and cans, but things like household items and appliances.”
There are no restrictions on items people may bring, and anything leftover will go to Reach Out Lakota, Goodwill and possibly Habitat for Humanity if there are building materials, she said.
However, parent Soumya Patnaik said, “It has to be something that someone else is going to use. It’s not a garbage pick-up place. It is meant to be able to recycle and reuse.”
The girls got the idea from a Freecycle website, where people can advertise things they no longer want, and will give away for free.
Member Afreen Minai, 10, said the project has been a good lesson, and has made her more environmentally conscious.
“I’m trying to waste less and I’m trying to not have the lights on so much.”
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