Why Children Should Learn About Recycling

In order to preserve a clean and beautiful earth to live in, it is very important that the children should learn about recycling at an early stage of their life on this planet. 

Learning about the importance of such matters at a young age will ensure that children internalise the information, understanding the importance of the environment and having respect for the world they live in.

Young students should learn about the effects of recycling and that they will be the responsible for contributing to the environment when they grow up.

They will also be responsible for passing the information on to generations coming after them in order to assure a healthy habitat on earth. 

Global warming and environmental degradation are some of the burning issues that the earth is facing right now and if measures such as recycling are not taken right now, it will only get worse from here for the generations to come. The children need to know why recycling will conserve a better earth to live in for them.

Importance of Recycling

The importance of recycling has been highlighted to be of great importance to us all in recent years as research has concluded that action needs to be taken to find greener solutions to the way we live.

Children are the future of our earth, it is crucial to help our earth by recycling and letting our children know there are several reasons why we should recycle.

Here are some of the reasons why children should learn about recycling: -

  • Different products that we use take several years to decompose when we just simply dump them in the outdoors and wait for them to decompose. We can help our environment by recycling and sorting the items out properly which will result in us re-using our resources instead of waiting years for them to decompose in a landfill.

 

  • The more we recycle, the more we help ourselves and the future of our planet. By recycling, we can reduce the prices of products since it lowers the cost of making new products each time they are wasted. 

 

  • Recycling reduces our dependence of landfills. The more we recycle the less we have to use landfills to decompose products and materials. The less land we harm will result in more land conserved by recycling products.

 

  • Another reason to recycle is that it protects our environment and our own health. When harmful substances are decomposed outdoors, we end up inhaling all of their remains through the air.  It is not healthy to inhale these dangerous substances, but by recycling harmful materials such as non-degradable plastic, we can prevent this from occurring. 

 

  • Recycling also conserves our natural resources.  It decreases our need for raw substances. If we don’t recycle, we will run out of room to put all of our rubbish.  Just imagine how many people are there on this earth and how much rubbish each citizen produces.  Eventually, if we continue to not recycle we will eventually run out of space to put all of our rubbish. One of the main reasons we should teach children to recycle is to reduce global warming.  Reducing global warming is of prime importance for healthy sustaining of our planet.

How to Encourage Children to Learn About Recycling

All parents want to leave the world a better place for their children. While it may feel like we don’t have much control over what happens down the line, one of the best ways to ensure that there will be a healthy planet for future generations is to teach our children about recycling now so that they grow up with awareness about recycling and an appreciation for preserving resources. After all, the current generation will inherit our planet and then the next and so on.

The earlier good habits are taught, the easier it is to incorporate them into your daily life.

Here are some activities that will help children understand what recycling is and how they can be part of it:

  • Recycling in the park- Visit a park or beach, where you can point out the rubbish on the ground. Explain how this can affect wildlife like birds, which may eat the garbage and get sick. Bring some bags and pairs of gloves to help them clean it up.

 

  • Get attractive recycling bins in homes or schools- Recycling bins at home or school are a great way to teach children to recycle. From a young age, children can begin to understand the importance of using waste and recycling bins, so it is important to get them used to it.

Attractive bins offer a fun and interesting option that will fit in well with a school or home setting and encourage children to use them.  Go for Recycling bins that are child-friendly, designed to be appealing to children of all ages, ideal for schools to encourage young children to use waste and recycling bins.

  • Make recycling a fun activity for young children- Let them decorate bins with pictures of what should go in each one (such as paper, plastic, cans, etc.) and then give them some items to practice sorting. Explain how it’s important to put everything in the right bin so that it can all be processed easily once it gets to the recycling facility.

 

  • Explore the rooms of your house- When recycling, we often mainly focus on the kitchen, but there are several things you can recycle and reuse all over your home. Have your children walk into a specific room and point out what they think can be recycled. Whether it’s stuffed animals in a bedroom, paint in a garage or bottles in a bathroom, there are plenty of items that don’t have to be destined for the landfill. Go over how items can be reused or recycled. For example, old toys can be donated to charities, pants that are outgrown can be turned into shorts and mismatched board game pieces can become some sort of decorative pieces or jewellery. This will help children get in the habit of thinking about where their waste items can find a new home once they’re done with them.

Use the above tips to encourage children to learn about the importance of recycling. This way you will be able to contribute to preserving the environment and you would leave a better world for your children and the generations to come. Educate them now and have them thank us for a safer and healthier earth for them to live on.