If there’s one thing that Boy Scouts and Burning Man have in common, it’s the idea of leaving no trace.
Scout Troop 1847 is helping Burners uphold that motto this Labor Day weekend.
Scouts will be collecting trash and other items Burners can’t take home with them. It doubles as a collection site and a fundraiser for the boys. The scouts themselves assist with unloading trunks and RVs.
Volunteer Scout mother Julie Tullgren says she got the idea from the business next door to the parking lot where they set up.
“A wonderful suggestion from Ellen at the Kiwanis Bike Project, which is next door here on Mill Street,” Tullgren says. “They rent the bikes out to the individuals on the playa, and a lot of their concerns were afterwards what to do with their trash."
Those concerns led to Troop 1847’s annual drop off. This year is the third time they’ve done it, and Burners from around the world are already stopping by.
“We've had people from Australia; Austria; Boston, Massachusetts,” Tullgren says. “So, we're really supplying a good spot for them to drop off all their stuff, even usable goods, after the fact."
The troop does ask for a $10 donation per trash bag to cover dump fees, and to raise money for future adventures. Burners can also leave food, water, camping gear, and other supplies.
“We were, just looking online for a nice place to dump our trash,” says Maxwell Durigon, a Burner from Miami. “This looked like a better cause than just dumping it at, you know, a roadside one right outside of Burning Man."
Burners say this drop off reflects the hospitality of the Biggest Little City
"The Burning Man community, it’s a very special place,” says Sam Siam, from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. “Coming out of it is a little daunting sometimes, but the community of Reno has been very open arms and open hands."
"We love Reno. We don't live here, but it's the greatest little city and we love coming here and supporting local community,” says Johnny Nguyen of Houston.
it even provided some nostalgia for Burners.
"This is actually such a cool thing. it kind of takes me back,” Durigon says. “I was a Boy Scout growing up for a couple of years."
When the fundraiser is all said and done, the extra donations will go to a variety of causes in our community. Much of the food will support the homeless and kids in school who don't get weekend meals. The troop is working to get household items to those affected by the Hawk Fire, and they've partnered with Gear Hut to sell the camping gear as another fundraiser for the troop.
“It's kind of a full circle within the community as well as working with a great small local business too,” Tullgren says.
Troop 1847 will return for the last day of the drop-off on Monday, September 7, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It’s located at 5125 Mill Street, next to Kiwanis Bike Program. As you’re driving along Mill Street near the Reno Airport, it’s the parking lot on the north side of the road near the Edison Way intersection.
