24/09/2019

Things we can do to help the environment in Recycle Week

Last year the world took a massive step towards a better planet by focusing on of their plastic intake. This year’s focus for Recycle Week taking action to recycle more often. This is a vital step when you consider that the UK is still throwing away 100 million tonnes of waste every year.

It’s important to teach the next generation the importance of recycling and necessary to make immediate changes to reduce the environmental impact the world.

Here are our top tips on encouraging your children to recycle:

Make it easy for them

From an early age it’s best to teach your child what items go into which bin. To make it easier, have different coloured bins for different materials and encourage them to put the correct rubbish into the correct bins. Children can be very lazy with their rubbish and will happily put it all into the same bin (if it even gets that far!) Teaching them at an early age will be great groundwork for when they get older.

Encourage them to use both sides of the paper

Children are the worst for using a piece of paper and tossing it straight in the bin when all they have done is draw a line on it. Encourage your child to use all of the paper for their drawings. If you find they’re struggling to use both sides because of the pens they’re using, either encourage them to use softer pens or invest in some watercolour paper to prevent the pen soaking through.

Make it fun

Instead of putting recycling straight into the bin, why not encourage your child to repurpose recyclable material into something fun. They could make a robot, windchimes, memory game, superhero cuff, a memory and so much more! It will also keep the children entertained for a few hours whilst they craft and create.

Donate

Instead of chucking out old toys and clothes when your child has finished with them, donate them to charity or give them to friends and family instead. Get your kids involved and let them decide where their old toys go. They might be more inclined to give them away if they are in control!

Treat yourselves

Set up a family chart to track what everyone in the house is recycling. You can make this a reward-based system, which is perfect for those competitive families who like to win. Give everyone a box and see who can put the most in their box. Or alternatively you can set the challenge on who can go a whole day without throwing anything away!
Hopefully this will give you and your family advice on ways to recycle. If you have any other ideas, let us know in the comments below!

It doesn’t have to stop there – there are different ways in which you can help the environment such as reducing your plastic and waste free lunches.