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Have you ever marveled at the backlash from your children when you ask them to make their bed, clean their room or load the dishwasher? It’s something every parent can attest to. When it comes to recycling, how can we convince our youth that “going green” is the right thing to do – not just for mom or dad, but for everyone?
First off, you need to understand for yourself what recycling is all about. Accept the fact that the accumulation of waste is a global problem that can be combated locally in a fight to conserve natural resources. Recycling helps to reduce carbon emissions, which is the leading cause of global warming.
Recycling can have an immediate impact; for example, did you know that recycling a ton of waste can save 17 trees and 17,000 gallons of water? One of the most important things you need to know about recycling is that with total buy-in from the next generation, they can help make the world a better place for their children and grandchildren. But how can you get them involved? Here are some tips.
1) Make it fun
Most children really enjoy fun art projects. Because most recycling containers are boring, let them assist you in coming up with a colorful design for the containers. Let them take an active role in helping to give your containers a little flare of their own and they will take more ownership of the task of recycling, and perhaps even be excited to visit the bins with recyclable waste.
2) Make it a game
Children need to learn what items go where, so use your imagination and make a game of the process so they’ll be more likely to get involved. You can give them a small prize when they help you sort the recycling and correctly identify where the plastic, glass and paper recyclables go. You can also create a little competition between yourself and your child, or if you have more than one child, develop a competition between them to see who can recycle the most items – just make sure that nobody feels like the “loser” in the process.
Did you know that recycling a ton of waste can save 17 trees and 17,000 gallons of water? One of the most important things you need to know about recycling is that with total buy-in from the next generation, they can help make the world a better place for their children and grandchildren. But how can you get them involved
3) Walk the walk
Kids need a positive role model to follow, so never give them a reason to throw away recyclables in the trash. They may not admit this themselves, but your children are focused on following your lead, which is why when they see you taking the time to separate garbage from recyclables, they begin to understand the importance of what you’re doing and they will follow suite. If your child catches you or your spouse throwing an aluminum can in the garbage and they “scold” you, you know they’re on the right track.
4) Casually educate
You can impart upon your children the importance of recycling without making it sound like a lecture. There are plenty of areas of the world that are suffering from one malady or another that can stand as an example of how recycling can help them in their situation. Photographs or videos of sea animals entwined in plastic, riverbanks cluttered with piles of trash, beaches completely cluttered in single-use plastics – these are all images that will educate children about what recycling is striving to fight, and it can be a positive influence on their decision to get involved.
At A City Suburban Services, we’re committed to helping fight the good fight and improve our community, our state, our nation and the world. If you’re planning a community recycling project, contact us about our roll off dumpster service.
