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8 Creative Ways To Introduce Recycling To Your Family

Recycling is a great way to help the environment. Unfortunately, many people aren’t aware of its importance. If you want to educate your family about recycling there are many creative ways you can do it.

Introduce Recycling To Your Family

Recycling is a great way to reduce the amount of trash in your home and save money on your household budget. Recycling may be a new concept for your family, so here are eight creative ways to introduce recycling to your family:

Educate them.

Start by teaching your child what happens when we throw things away and why it’s important not to do so. You can take them to a landfill or recycling center and show them what happens when we throw things away without thinking about whether or not they can be recycled (or reused). This will help them understand that our planet cannot handle all of our trash and why it’s important for us as individuals to do our part in helping keep our planet clean by recycling whenever possible!

Once they understand the importance of recycling, show them the things they can use in recycling. It’s a good idea to start with something simple, like a cardboard baler wire, newspapers, or cardboard boxes.

Show them how much money they can save by recycling certain items. Some people think that recycling means throwing away money because it takes some time and effort to sort through recyclables for their value instead of just throwing them away. However, if you show them the difference between what they’d have to pay for those same items versus what they’ll receive from selling their recyclables (which often isn’t much), then they might be more willing to give it a try!

Parent's showing their little girls how to recycle

The sorting game.

Start with one type of material at first — plastic, paper or glass — and have your child sort items into each category using different containers or boxes. This will give them practice in sorting materials and also begin to teach them about what types of items go where when it comes time for real recycling.

Make sorting fun by turning it into a game or competition! You may want to set up stations around the house where you can place different recyclable materials and then see who can sort them correctly first. Another fun activity would be making signs with pictures of all different kinds of recyclable items so they could find them quickly when needed.

Make recycling fun.

Incorporate recycling into your family’s daily routine by making it fun! Encourage your children to help sort recyclables from trash and make sure they do not throw away items that can be recycled. It’s okay if they put something in the wrong bin sometimes; this happens even with adults! Once they get used to sorting their own items, then you can start teaching them how to sort other people’s trash as well. You can even challenge them by giving them different types of recyclables they have never seen before and ask them what type of bins those items belong in!

Get them involved by showing them how easy it is.

Children are very curious and they want to help out around the house when they can. If you show them how easy it is to recycle then they will be more likely to help out when you need them too. Let them put all the recyclables in their own bins, or even let them sort through the paper and plastics themselves first before sorting everything else into bins. Try not to make it a big deal though; if you tell them all about how important recycling is then they may lose interest, but if you let them have fun with it then they will enjoy it more!

Recycle your kids’ artwork.

It’s a fact that kids love to make art, and they often make lots of it. But what happens when their drawings are done? Instead of throwing it out or recycling the paper, you can use it as an opportunity to talk about recycling with your kids.

Have them draw something on paper and then use their drawing as inspiration for a new project. You can cut up their drawing into pieces and create a collage out of them or use them in another art project. This gives your child’s artwork a second life and gives them an opportunity to experience the process of recycling first-hand.

If your kids love arts and crafts, try making them create something out of recyclables. Kids love when they can turn trash into treasure! This also makes it more fun for them to learn about recycling and why it’s so important to our planet.

Make it a game.

Try making recycling into a game by having a competition between family members. Set up categories such as most items recycled in one week, most bottles or cans recycled in one week, most food scraps composted or best example of why recycling is important. The winner gets bragging rights, plus you get to show off how much you’re recycling!

Create an eco-friendly home library.

A home library is a great way to get your children interested in reading at a young age. It’s also a great way to teach them about the importance of recycling. Books are one of the most commonly recycled items, so when you include them in your home library, it sends a powerful message about recycling and saving the environment.

Start with a bookshelf, then add items like recycled cardboard boxes and magazines, used paperbacks and journals, and even old boxes.

While it may seem counterintuitive to encourage your children to read more when you’re trying to save the planet, it’s actually a great way to show them how easy it is to reuse things.

If your kids are reading at a young age, they’ll be able to enjoy books for years without having to purchase new ones. If they’re older and want new titles, many bookstores offer used books at affordable prices — it’s easy enough for anyone on a budget!

Plant a garden.

Gardens are great for kids because they teach them about nature, growing food and how to take care of plants. It can also be a fun way to get your kids involved in recycling.

If you have some old pots and planters lying around, use them to start a new garden. You can also find plenty of free containers online if you don’t want to spend any money.

If you have the space, consider planting herbs or vegetables in your garden and teaching your children how to use them. This will not only enrich their lives but it will help them learn about where their food comes from and how it’s grown.

 

9 thoughts on “8 Creative Ways To Introduce Recycling To Your Family

  • I’m so glad our community where I live has a recycling truck come by every month. You don’t realize how much you can recycle until you start putting it out. We can’t recycle glass here though.

    Reply
  • My teen boys need a refresher course. They tend to put the wrong items in the recycling bin.

    Reply
  • We do recycle! We have a bin and the kids are pretty good with recycling now that they are older.

    Reply
  • I really enjoyed reading this post, educating your family is so importatnt.

    Reply
  • A great idea. Why didn’t I think of that? I do agree of educating your family is a wonderful and important as well thanks for sharing this.

    Reply
  • Definitely, a very essential stuff for our kids to know while they’re young. Recycling is such a big part of a great and good environment for the next generation.

    Reply
  • This is such a really great and very informative post! I really enjoy reading this, Recycling is really a great thing to do!

    Reply
  • These are such great tips! It’s important to educate your family about it.

    Reply

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