Teaching kids the importance of recycling

For the sake of the environment, it’s crucial to teach children the importance of recycling. Picture: Tracey Adams Cape Argus

For the sake of the environment, it’s crucial to teach children the importance of recycling. Picture: Tracey Adams Cape Argus

Published Feb 4, 2023

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Cape Town - The dangers caused by waste on our planet have a huge environmental impact, such as leaving rivers polluted and destroying marine life. All this is caused by people who have little knowledge about waste management and recycling.

To ensure that we protect our planet for generations to come, education on recycling has to start at a young age.

Here are some activities that will help kids understand what recycling is and how they can be part of it, as suggested by Method Recycling.

Be clear about the 3 Rs

It’s easy to show children what they can do to help by introducing them to the 3 Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) of the waste hierarchy.

Have colourful recycling bins and posters

One of the best ways to excite kids about the prospect of recycling is to offer them beautiful, colourful recycling bins and posters. By offering posters as educational materials too, we make it easier for schools and kindergartens to effectively and enthusiastically teach their students about what goes into each waste stream.

Make your own worm farm

To work with your organic recycling bin, create a worm farm outside using soil and other materials, which will in turn show learners how their food waste is transformed into compost.

Use video clips to educate

Video can be the most captivating format to utilise for a younger audience – short, eye-catching clips to educate and capture their interest. The concepts of waste streams, the waste hierarchy, and the growing amount of plastic in our landfills and oceans can be explained through the use of YouTube clips.

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