Local Girl Scouts Daisy Troop 31318 has started their second year off strong, with community service projects with an environmental focus. On the heels of a hugely successful beach clean up at Jack London Aquatic Center for the 74th Annual California Coastal Clean Up Day, the girls have turned their attention to Piedmont’s own streets and trash cans.
Girl Scouts getting ready to clean up the estuary at Jack London Aquatic Center, 9/17/22
Comprised of nineteen girls between the ages of 6 and 7 years old, representing both Havens and Wildwood Elementary schools, Troop 31318 has a plan for reducing the waste created on and around Halloween at the end of this month. The girls will be installing a TerraCycle candy and snack wrappers “Zero Waste” recycling box outside Mulberry’s Market for a week before and after Halloween.
Formed in 2021, Troop 31318 was largely unable to participate in in-person community service projects during the 21-22 school year due to ongoing Covid concerns. This year, the girls have been excited to have a chance to get out in the greater community to increase their positive impact. After recent troop meetings centered around reducing our environmental impact by reducing waste, reusing items that have life left in them, and composting and recycling as much as possible, the girls are excited to introduce their candy wrapper recycling program to the community.
In small groups, the troop learned how to sort litter into recycling, compost, and landfill.
With an expected start date of Monday, October 24, the girls are hoping to prevent the usual uptick in wayward candy wrappers blowing around in the streets around Halloween by providing an option for local residents to recycle these otherwise un-recyclable wrappers. TerraCycle’s Zero Waste boxes divert items that would otherwise end up in landfill, or in our streets and waterways, into specialized recycling facilities.
Troop 31318 is hoping the community will take this opportunity to be thoughtful about its plastic-based waste, and is also urging those who can to hand out candy with compostable paper-based wrappers, such as candy that comes in small cardboard boxes. Please look for Troop 31318’s TerraCycle box outside Mulberry’s Market this Halloween and consider saving your wrappers and participating in an important lesson in civic engagement and environmental responsibility for these young scouts.
Troop 31318 snack time while parent volunteer, Ellie Somers, demonstrates using an old Amazon shipping bag to collect candy wrappers at home. 9/25/22 
TerraCycle Zero Waste Collection Bin available to the community in front of Mulberry’s Market 10/24/22-11/07/22.
The Great Girl Scouts’ Candy Wrapper Recycling Drive
- Trick-or-Treating
When buying candy for trick-or-treaters this year try choosing candy wrappers that are compostable, like Nerds boxes, paper Pixie Stix, and paper wrapped chocolates.
- Saving Candy Wrappers
Set up a bag in your home, maybe an old Amazon shipping bag, and start collecting the plastic candy wrappers that would otherwise end up in a landfill (or our parks and bay).
- Recycle
Bring your wrappers to the Troop 31318 TerraCycle Zero Waste collection bin outside of Mulberry’s Market from October 24th to November 7th.
- Write a letter
Does your favorite candy only have landfill destined wrapping? Write to the maker and ask them to change.
As a community we can all help make a difference. Please help show our 1st graders just what a difference we can make when we work together.