Ways To Teach Your Child About Recycling This School Year

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Summer is winding down and the first day of school is quickly approaching. If you are like me, you’re probably hoping to give your kids some additional responsibility as they enter the next grade. Teaching your child to recycle is a fun way to educate them on the impact it has in the world. Here are some ways to teach your child about recycling this school year:

Explain What Recycling Is To Your Child

When assigning this new chore to your child, make sure to teach them all about it. According to the EPA, recycling is the process of collecting and processing trash and turning it into new products. It benefits your community and the environment. Let them know that they are helping to keep the earth healthy!

Tell Them Why It Matters

Your child might ask you why recycling even matters. Tell them that when they recycle, trash is converted into new products, reducing the need to consume natural resources such as trees. Every time they recycle a cardboard cereal box, they are helping to protect a natural habitat such as a forest.

Let Them Decorate Your Bins

Teaching Your Child About Recycling

Believe it or not, most kids love to sort trash into bins. Let them decorate bins with pictures of what should go in each (paper, plastic, cans, etc.) Next, give them some items to sort. Explain how it’s important to put everything in the right bin so that it can all be processed easily once it gets to the recycling facility.

Visit a Recycling Facility

Take your family to the recycling center. You can use this recycling site to help you find a center near you. Meet the people that work there and learn about where all the recycled material goes. You can also see if there are ways for your family to volunteer.

Buy Books About Recycling

There are so many great books to teach your kids about recycling, but I’ll share three of my favorites with you:

  1. Don’t Throw That Away! is geared for 4-6-year-olds and is about an eco-conscious super hero that teaches kids how to recycle and reuse.
  2. For elementary school kids, I highly recommend the book, One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia. This beautifully written and illustrated book tells the story of how a group of women in a small village in Gambia solves a big problem.
  3. Heroes of the Environment: True Stories of People Who Are Helping to Protect Our Planet is geared for pre-teens. The book tells the story of twelve real-life people who are doing his or her part to help the planet.

Don’t forget to keep your recycling bins clean and smelling fresh so your kids don’t get grossed out. Let the Clean Cans team do the dirty work and let your kids focus on saving the planet!

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