Recycling During Homeschooling

Recycling during home school is a perfect route to helping children become recycling partners.  One way to introduce the problem is talk about all the trash a family produces in a week.  To make this point clearer, collect a week’s trash in a visible place.  At the end of the week weigh the trash and record the amount. Discuss what kinds of things have been thrown away.

Once the children understand the amount and the content of the family trash, introduce the three “R’s” reduce, reuse, recycle.  Take the time to review and discuss each one.

Reduce:  Ask the children to look at all the things a family uses in a day.  Help identify some things that would reduce waste.  Some examples: shut water off while brushing teeth, lathering hands, and shampooing hair; using cloth napkins instead of paper; keeping plastic pop and water bottles filled with water in the refrigerator instead of buying more bottled water;  borrowing books from the library instead of buying them; and taking cloth bags to the grocery store.

Reuse:  Ask the children to think about the things around the house that are used for something other than what it was created for.  Some examples might be using rags salvaged from other clothes and bedding; storing leftovers in plastic containers from cottage cheese, yogurt, and deli meats; and taking pop or soda glasses back for refills rather than getting a new one.

Recycle:  If your family already recycles, review the materials put in to recycle.  It is a good time to see if there are other articles that could be in the recyclables.  It is also a good time to see if there is a way to make the process more organized and easier.

If the family is not recycling, here is an opportunity to put a system in place.  Older children can help by looking up local recycling practices.  Involve the children in creating an area for collecting the recyclables.

After several weeks of working on the three “R’s,” repeat the saving of the family’s trash for a week.  Hopefully there will be enough of a reduction in trash for children to see a difference in the volume and the weight.  Review what has been done and think together about what else could be done.