Think cereal boxes or beverage containers, for instance: Some of them simply don’t have a better alternative, and you don’t want to stop eating those things for good. If an item truly is waste, and you can’t cut that item out of your life in the first place, it’s time to recycle. Sometimes, you can’t find a second use for something, and that’s okay. At the least, when you bring home paper or plastic bags, make sure you dry them out, fold them up and bring them back to the store with you next time. If you can replace your plastic consumption with just 6-8 reusable bags, you won’t have to think about it again for a year or more. Most of us carry home bags from the grocery store several times a week. One of the easiest ways to reuse what we already have is to look to our bag closet. If a toy, piece or furniture or item of clothing can be fixed, do it, and then use it again. Turn used paper into art supplies or scrap paper for making shopping lists.Īlso, make sure you are “reusing” any item that still has life in it.(Or if you’re a grownup, surprise a little one on a birthday or holiday with all their old socks turned into a movie.) Stop throwing out old and mismatched socks, and instead make a fuzzy sock snake that you or another kid will love cuddling.
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Use old jars as tea light holders for special events.Turn broken crayons into pretty candles to give to teachers, family members or just keep in your room (with adult permission, of course).
RECYCLE REUSE REDUCE HOW TO
There exist tons of other ideas for how to reuse items as well. You can also reuse items like cups and plates instead of using disposables. Instead of throwing things away that you might not use anymore, why not give them to someone else? For example, if you outgrow your clothes, you might have a younger sibling or friend that would be able to use them instead of just throwing them in the garbage. You can even start up a fundraiser for your school or church using custom reusable shopping bags with a logo of your choice! Reuse Make sure you always have your reusable bags in the trunk when you go to the store with your parents.
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One final idea for reducing is to stop using plastic altogether, as well as paper, which isn’t much better for the environment than plastic. No matter who you are, conversation is the key to better choices. On the other hand, if you’re a grownup, spend time talking through each choice with kids and getting their opinion. Tell them that plastic harms land animals, marine mammals and birds, fish and plants, and that making it pollutes the air. Since adults do most of the shopping, if you’re a kid, you’ll have to step up and really make your voice heard. You can then use your garden to grow food, and avoid having to buy fruits and vegetables that come in packaging. That way, instead of heading to landfill where it won’t decompose for hundreds of years, food gets a second life as rich soil the following season – a great fertilizer. To reduce food waste, start a compost pile in the backyard. You can also buy products that have packaging that can be easily recycled, and stop buying bottled water altogether. Think meat that comes in styrofoam (a type of plastic, believe it or not), or fruit and veggies that have heavy packaging around them. You can begin reducing the amount of waste you produce by choosing to buy products that do not create excess waste that later has to be added to landfills. To truly implement this step, it’s important to cast a critical eye on what we use, and ask: What could we do better? What don’t we need? What is made of a harmful substance, and can be replaced with something less harmful – or eliminated altogether?īoth grownups and kids struggle with such questions, and it takes effort to begin answering them differently. While it seems simple to just buy less, we humans can be very set in our ways, relying heavily on products to which we are loyal. “Reduce” is not necessarily the easiest step, though you might think so. Whether you’re a teacher or a parent or a concerned kid yourself, here’s a basic rundown of “reduce, reuse, recycle” and tips you can implement today. If we want to make an impact in the fight against waste and pollution, one of the best things we can do is ensure kids get these lessons young. Today, waste is a huge problem, affecting every part of our environment, from our waterways to our atmosphere, our grassy fields to our forests, our plants to our people. Others are unnecessary – such as petroleum-based plastic bags, which choke the environment and kill wildlife, even though we now have access to much better alternatives. While some items inarguably cannot be used again, many are tossed before their time. Waste is anything that we get rid of, throw away or do not use.