How To Get Kids Excited About Recycling

by kiwilog

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Recycling may not be super exciting, but it is super important. Getting your little ones enthusiastic about recycling their bottles, cans, and paper goods will not only reduce your family’s landfill load–it will also help them build good eco-conscious habits for life. Encourage the practice by keeping it easy and fun with some of these ideas:

Make recycling rules clear. Keep a list of what is and isn’t recyclable in a prominent spot, such as the refrigerator or a bulletin board. You can also use different colored bins for different items, like blue for paper items and yellow for glass, to help little ones remember what goes where.
Try some friendly competition. Encourage each family member to see how many items he or she can recycle in a week, or how few items end up in the trash. Take it a step further by creating a neighborhood recycling competition!
Do some research. As a family, learn about the new things that are made out of recycled material, and try to identify them on your daily outings. For instance, you can point out a playground made of plastic lumber that may have come from old water bottles.
Find incentives. Find out if RecycleBank or another similar program that rewards recyclers exists in your area. Coupons for free ice cream just from sorting your trash? Sounds like fun!
Be a good role model. OK, it won’t make recycling more fun, but make sure to practice what you preach!

-Marygrace, KIWI Staffer

Tags: family recycling, kids recycling, recycling