The household task of recycling involves your entire family. Although you may think the responsibility to recycle or reuse household items and product packaging belongs with the adults, children can help make sure recyclable items don't end up in the trash. Simple strategies can teach your children the value of recycling, while making it an enjoyable activity that increases their enthusiasm for reducing environmental waste.
Clean out an empty pasta sauce or other glass jar and designate it as a place to deposit money for a special family activity, such as a mini-vacation or a trip to a theme park. Add a predetermined amount of money for each item your children recycle. Have them keep track of the money raised to help maintain their enthusiasm for the project.
Wash out empty milk jugs and have your children make hanging bird feeders out of them. Cut holes for feeding access, to insert perches and to attach a string for hanging the feeder; your children can add twigs or dowels for perches and fill the jugs with bird seed. They can also decorate the feeders with nontoxic paint. This project not only helps your children recycle; it can also help them discover local bird species. (See References 1)
Teach your children about plastic recycling codes and have them separate the plastics accepted by your local recycling program. Products bearing recycling codes 1 and 2, which are made from polythylene terephthalate and high-density polyethylene, are commonly accepted by community recycling centers. (See References 2)
Have your children collect yard waste by raking leaves and grass clippings into a compost pile, adding kitchen waste such as eggshells, teabags and vegetable peels. After it ages, children can distribute this yard waste as compost for gardens and flower beds. Teach your children how organic matter such as yard waste breaks down to provide nutrients for living plants. (See References 1)
Instruct children to place aluminum cans in a recycling container specifically for aluminum waste. When the container is full, take your children to a recycling center that pays for aluminum. Use the money to treat your children to ice cream or a movie.
Things You Will Need
- Empty pasta sauce or other glass jar
- Empty milk jugs
- Twigs or dowels
- Nontoxic paint
- Bird seed
- Take your children to a local landfill to show them what happens to waste that isn't recycled. The visual impact of large expanses of trash can illustrate the importance of recycling and reducing waste.