A mountain of Mountain Dew boxes. Strong kids hauling trash bags full of empty bottles and cans. Eagle Scouts returning to roost—and help.

These were among the images from this Saturday’s Troop 1775’s bottle and can drive under a sunny blue sky in the VFW parking lot in Natick. Adults and kids efficiently worked together to unload donations from those who were ridding their homes of empty bottles and cans, no doubt some of which came in the aftermath of Super Bowl parties.

“Breaking news!,” shouted one contributor when he recognized me. “Hopefully not broken bottles, though.”

The troop holds 3 such drives per year, raising in the $1,200-$1,400 range per event to help defray costs of camping and other activities, said Wade Huber, scoutmaster of Troop 1775, which has been going strong for more than 50 years. The troop currently has some 30 scouts, and the more experienced ones play a big role in organizing the bottle and can drive.

The bottles and cans collected are transported to a redemption center in Framingham, where those thousands of them at 5 cents apiece add up to real funds for the scouts. Among the activities they’re looking forward to this year is participation at the annual Camporee at U.S. military academy West Point.