How to encourage your children to recycle

According to recent statistics from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, levels of household recycling in the UK are sadly on the decline.  As we discussed in some of our recent blogs, many recycling charities are laying the blame at the feet of councils who often have confusing rules regarding what can and can’t be thrown away and how to do it.  The solution to this is for councils to clear up confusion over what exactly can and cannot be recycled from household waste. However, beyond that, the key to improving household recycling is to find ways to encourage the whole family to get involved.

Educate
The first step to encouraging your children to get involved with recycling is to educate them on why it’s so important, otherwise they might find it difficult to get on board. Find creative ways to show them the direct effects, for example pointing out litter on a beach or in a local park. By showing them the litter in a place where they can see wildlife around them they can draw a direct link between their actions and the potential harm of littering.

Be colourful
Activities which are a painful chore for adults can often be surprisingly enjoyable for our children. Tasks like sorting your recycling bin can become a game.  For example you could offer a small, token prize to whoever can sort their bag of rubbish into recyclables and non-recyclables the quickest.  Choose brightly coloured recycling boxes and containers and allow your kids to decorate them with stickers or drawings of their favourite animals.

Repurpose
Another fun activity related to recycling is that of repurposing.  This is taking something that has a specific use and giving it an entirely new one. For example, using glass jars to store small items like coins or buttons, or using toilet roll tubes to create arts and crafts like this cardboard castle.

Learn all the facts
In order to make your recycling efforts a success you need to make sure you know all the facts. This means getting clued up on exactly what your local authority does and doesn’t collect.  Search for your local council’s website on Google and bookmark it in your favourites so that you can access it quickly whenever you are unsure about a particular item. It’s also worth having your recycling dates pinned on your fridge so that you can plan in advance.

Getting your family to participate in recycling can be difficult, but if you can educate them on its importance as well as making it easy and fun then you should be onto a winner.

Here at LSPS recycling is of great importance to us and we help businesses and individuals all across Leicestershire to reduce the amount of their waste that ends up at landfill sites. Our Waste Transfer Station is open to traders and has an extensive range of state of the art equipment.

To find out how about we can help with your waste disposal needs please contact us on 0800 083 7807, or visit our website for further information.