¹     Von and Hal were Cub Scouts. They were learning to help Earth. Their den leader took them on a field trip to learn more. Where were they going?
 
²     The trip was to a recycling center. The scouts went on a bus. As they drove into the center they saw big hills.
 
³     "Wow!" the boys yelled. "Those are cool! They would be great for our sleds."
 
⁴     "Not really," Mr. Smith, the den leader, said. "Do you know those hills are part of the landfill?"
 
⁵     "What's a landfill?" Von asked.
 
⁶     "It's where your garbage is stored for years and years. It has nowhere else to go. They put it in big piles. Then they cover it."
 
⁷     "Yuck!" Hal said.
 
⁸     "That's right," Mr. Smith said. "You put something in the garbage. It has to go somewhere. Our town puts it here."
 
⁹     "That's awful. What can we do to get rid of it?" Hal asked.
 
¹⁰     Mr. Smith said, "Good question. That's what we will find out inside."
 
¹¹     The den toured the recycling center. The scouts learned a lot. They saw the workers sort through bottles and papers.
 
¹²     The guide said, "Remember the 3 R's. That's how you help Earth. Garbage does not just go away. We need to stop the waste before it gets to the landfill. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle."
 
¹³     "What does reduce mean again?" one scout asked.
 
¹⁴     "Reduce the garbage. That means make less of it," the guide said. "Buy things you will use. Buy things that last a long time. Throw away less in your garbage."

Paragraphs 15 to 27:
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