To the Editor:

Guilderland Girl Scout Troop 1760 would like to express its gratitude to the Guilderland Transfer Station.

Last Wednesday, Foreman David Corey and Clerk Donna Diana provided a tour of the transfer station to the first-grade Daisies in Troop 1760, along with their parents and siblings. Mr. Corey showed us machines that prepare materials for recycling, including one that condenses all types of paper and cardboard into bales.

We were able to walk inside a tractor trailer to see stacks of these bales of paper. He said that it takes about two weeks for the town to fill one tractor trailer with bales of paper. Several years ago, when more town residents received junk mail and physical newspapers, the town filled two of these tractor trailers every week.

Mr. Corey showed us another machine that condenses plastic bags into bales. He emphasized that, even though there is currently not a strong market for recycling these materials, it is still important to keep them out of the landfill.

He was referring to the fact that China is refusing to accept most of America’s recyclable products, due to the items not meeting China’s standards of cleanliness. Mr. Corey optimistically shared that, in the next decade, there will be companies in America that will accept and recycle a lot of these items.

Mr. Corey explained to the troop that plastics are recycled into park benches. He showed the kids a pile of tires; the tires are recycled and turned into the rubber mulch that is used in our school playgrounds.

We walked by a mountain of brush, sticks, and leaves collected from town residents. This gets collected and turned into mulch, available for town residents to purchase for their home gardens. Ms. Diana said that this mulch is acidic, which is very good for tomato plants.

Mr. Corey challenged the kids to help create a solution of what the world can do with the garbage that is not recyclable. He referred to the garbage and demolition that fills a four- to five-ton dumpster at the transfer station, and is emptied about five times a day.

After the tour, some of the girls started to think of what they can do with these “un-usable” items, discussing their ideas of murals and furniture that they can possibly make out of the non-recyclable garbage.

Thank you, Mr. Corey and Ms. Diana, for inspiring our girls to make the world a better place. We appreciate all that you and your employees do for our town, and for the Earth.

Megan Johnson

and Jill Dooley

Troop leaders

Girl Scout Troop 1760

Guilderland