What is recycle week?
Recycle week is a national campaign set up by sustainability charity WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme). They work year-round to advocate for and support organisational change that minimises waste. Change needs to happen on a large scale, but there are things we can do at home to support our children’s future habitat.
This year WRAP’s celebration of recycling runs 20th – 26th September and we have put together a list of ways you can get your children engaged in the three Rs of recycling: ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.’
How can I help my children learn about recycling?
- Growing fruit and vegetables – getting children involved in growing their own food helps them connect with nature, think more about food waste, reduces plastic packaging and shipping; finally, it’s heaps of sensory fun for the young ones to get their hands stuck in.
- Make toys – save some of those yoghurts for a cup and ball game. Friday night’s pizza box is Saturday’s jigsaw puzzle.
- Arts and crafts – do some eco-friendly themed arts and crafts. Paint the recycling symbol to help them recognise it out in the world.
- Scavenger hunt – turn a walk in the park into a game. You may want some gloves and a litter picker for this one. Next time you take the children out for a walk, work with them to collect some of the litter and divide things up into recycling and general rubbish. You could even turn it into a competition for who find the most recyclables.
- Recycling paper – before you throw out that paper, tear it up, get out a mixing bowl and make some homemade parchment.
- Videos – there are plenty of videos online made to educate children about the importance of recycling and how to do it.
- Talk to them – one size doesn’t fit all. Find out what your children know about recycling and if they have any questions.
- Label the bins – put posters on the bins, like the ones you will sometimes get from your council, to show what goes in where and let the children take charge of waste disposal.
Can you think of any more ideas?
We would love to hear what you think would help get kids recycling and why it’s important to be mindful of their environment. Please share them with us on social media under the post for this article or using the hashtag #HSWBRecycles.