Summer has officially started! At least for most families. Kids are out of school, and are at home all day. Now this means a lot for parents, but it also means more trash. If you aren’t recycling yet, now is the time to start! Have your children help you out, and it won’t be any different than simply using a trashcan. Recycling can also mean reusing/ repurposing, which makes great activities for kids! We’ve searched the web and found the top eleven tips for recycling/reusing this summer. So step away from your trashcan, and start recycling today!
- Set up a recycling center in your kitchen, utility room, or garage. Find out if your recyclables need to be separated, and plan accordingly. You may need one bin, or you may need a few. Be sure to clearly label your bins for easy sorting.
- Some communities don’t have a recycling program. Search for recycling centers near your home, and make a field trip out of it with your kids. This could be a great teaching lesson.
- Kids mean more drinks; sodas, water bottles, juice boxes, etc. Find out which of these are recyclable and start putting them in the recycling bin immediately. If they aren’t recyclable, see if you can create something out of the containers.
- If you are traveling, bring two bags for any trash you might accumulate, one for waste, one for recyclables. There’s a very strong chance you will run into a recycling bin somewhere on your trip.
- Kids are always in need of entertaining. Start turning some of your trash into activities. Use tin cans to create a telephone, or decorate tin cans for marker and colored pencil holders. Take a milk carton and make a bird feeder. Let the kids decorate it first. The opportunities are endless for reusing household materials. Search pinterest.com for even more ideas. (http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=recycled%20crafts&rs=ac&len=8)
- Throwing a pool party or having a bar-b-que? Make sure your recycling bin is clearly labeled, and visible for your guests to use.
- Reuse your 6-pack holders for condiments, and silverware for your pool
parties or BBQs. - Have your kids clean out their closets. Separate anything you can DIY, then donate the rest.
- Summer has a lot of down time. Instead of buying brand new books that will only get read once, have a book swap with your friends and neighbors.
- If you have a ton of magazines or old newspapers lying around, use them for mosaics or a paper mache project. This will keep the kids occupied all afternoon!
- Use your scraps to start a garden (http://www.earth911.com/home-garden/grow-food-from-scraps/). Instead of throwing your scraps away, start a garden with your children. You can even go a step further and start your own composting bin, to have beautiful rich soil for your garden. http://theartofsimple.net/how-to-make-a-compost-bin/
Don’t waste anymore time not recycling. Have your kids help. Teach your kids about recycling now, so they will practice it throughout their entire life. It is important to teach our young about the earth, recycling, and landfills. Start this summer with fun activities that will promote recycling, and keep your kids occupied!
Refuse Specialists 