Ravalli County in Montana has received support from the Boy Scouts of America for its recycling measures. The NGO's volunteer workforce for community service is supported by the boy scouts of Hamilton's Troop 62 as well. American Legion Post No. 47 of Hamilton is sponsoring the entire troop.

Voluntary Services of the Boy Scouts in Ravalli County

Greg Raymond, the troop's scoutmaster said that one adult and two boys were sent on a weekly basis to support the county's recycling activities. At present, 11 scouts are part of the project.

To go higher up the scouting ranks, the scouts must actively participate in community activities such as recycling programs. The idea of providing voluntary services at the recycling center was initially presented by Raymond. It was received enthusiastically from all the scouts and gratefully acknowledged by the recycling group.

Uniformed scouts present themselves at the center and help in sorting recyclables and placing them into proper containers. Raymond said that it was an opportunity for the scouts to show themselves as responsible citizens.

Ravalli County Converting Recyclables into Eco-Friendly Promotional Items

Doug Soehren from the recycling group said that the group was always happy to have extra hands as they required all the support they could get for their recycling measures.

Due to this project, people have become more aware of recycling measures. It has prompted even the families of the scouts to bring in recyclables to the center. The scouts are trained on the recycling processes; for a more in-depth understanding, a trip to the Pacific Recycling center in Missoula has been planned for the scouts.

Recyclables are accepted by the Ravalli County Recycling at the site on Old Corvallis Road at specific time slots on Saturdays and Mondays. The site is closed for Christmas from December 24 to 31.

Some of the items that are accepted as recyclables are catalogs, newspapers, scrap paper, magazines, steel and aluminum cans and grade 1 or 2 plastic. Most of these recyclables are effectively transformed into eco friendly promotional items. E-waste such as cell phones, toner cartridges, and used batteries are also accepted. However, hazardous materials and glass and petroleum products are not accepted.

Soehren, who has volunteered with the recycling group for quite some time, has created a device to generate power from the photovoltaic panels collected at the site. Although recycling cardboard is a challenge because its market price often fluctuates, yet they try doing it.

Source: http://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/ravalli-county-recycling-gets-help-from-boy-scouts/article_6be63e1d-f63e-5144-8cc8-0f740d71c7c7.html