Family Recycling - A family recycling program is a great way to get the whole family involved in the recycling process. It provides a great opportunity to teach your kids about recycling and reusing. We want the planet to be a better place for future generations, but it is up to us to teach them how to keep it clean.
Family Recycling is Educational
Many children believe that all trash goes in the garbage can where it gets trucked off to the landfill. While it is good that they know to put garbage in its place rather than littering, we need to make them aware of what can be recycled. While they may learn some of the basics at school, it is up to parents to teach by example. A family recycling project is the best way to do that!
To start your family recycling project, you will need a recycling cart or even just a few bins or plastic boxes. Have several recycling bins in your home. One each for plastic, aluminum, green waste, newspapers, etc. Spend an evening talking with your family about the bins and what goes in them. Teach them about how the different things are taken to recycling centers and made into new products. This is an important step in your family recycling endeavor. The kids need to know where the items go and what happens to them after they put them in the bin. If you can find a video of a recycling plant or even arrange a tour it will make a big impact on your family. Once they realize what happens to the waste they will be more likely to recycle.
Assign one person to be in charge of the bins each week. If you have curbside recycling, that person will be responsible for getting the bins to the curb. If you have to take your waste to a central location, have the person in charge help load the bins in the car and empty them when you get to the recycling center.
Part of family recycling is teaching kids to use it up! We live in a very disposable world and that is showing in our overflowing landfills. If everyone would get the full use out of products it would save both money and space in the landfills. We need to start using less disposable products and making the disposable things we do have last longer. Make a game out of your family recycling project by trying to create less trash. Have your family try to fill the garbage can half as much as you usually do in a week.
Recycling will become a way of life if you take the time to make it part of your daily routine. Get in the habit and teach by example. With your family recycling project, soon your family will become more conscious of the waste they create, and you will be on your way to having a green family!
Learn More About Family Recycling:
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The Adventures of a Plastic Bottle: A Story About Recycling (Little Green) |
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Suncast Recycle Bin Kit BH183PK |
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I Can Save the Earth!: One Little Monster Learns to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle (Little Green Books) |
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The Adventures of an Aluminum Can: A Story About Recycling (Little Green) |