Top Tips To Get Your Little Ones Into Recycling

Top Tips to Get Your Little Ones into Recycling

If you are a parent who is trying to get your kids into becoming eco-friendly, you may find it difficult to know where to even start. Environmentalists predict that the planet is becoming even more endangered and future generations will suffer the consequences. As it stands, it will be your children who need to make the real difference. Teaching good habits from a young age allows children to view recycling as the norm and is an important aspect for their understanding of how the environment will benefit from their actions.

Here are a few top tips to turn your little ones into recycling experts!

Start Teaching Early

Recycling bins dotted around your household allows the kids to understand that recycling is an important aspect of your family-life. Place bins in areas that are familiar to them and within their view, such as the kitchen or the utility. Allow them to become familiar with the objects that go into each specific green or blue bin and reinforce recycling terms as much as possible. It is most likely that if they watch you filter items, they will want to help too as most children love having a responsibility.

Make Recycling Fun

Turn what may be perceived as a boring task into fun games and activities.

• Encourage the kids to decorate bins with stickers and drawings related to recycling, so that they are more likely to use them. Once they start recognising which item is placed in which bin, give them a small reward so that they are aware that they have done a good job.
• Turn recycling into a game. Collect plastic, paper, cardboard and glass with the aim of sorting through items and placing them into the correct bins within a time limit. Again, give them a small reward if they have completed the task correctly.
• The internet has an array of learning activities, videos and information that children can explore. The visual aspect can be extremely powerful and educational in their understanding of how their small duties will make a huge difference in the long-term.
• Put the kids in charge! Allow them to monitor the family to see if everyone is doing their recycling duties correctly. Ensuring that they are an important part of the recycling process will make them feel much more involved and enthusiastic about their role, which should instil greater responsibility for the future.
• Get a recycling mascot. Using a teddy bear as the household mascot would be a great idea for younger children to understand recycling. They could make an outfit solely out of recycled materials and you may also use it discuss how their teddy bear expects their participation in improving the environment. 

If you need any further help on recycling bins for the home, kitchen or outdoor, please contact us and we’d be happy to help find your perfect recycling solution.