Kids these days often get taught about waste at school. Teachers discuss lots of different environmental concerns like climate change, pollution and the importance of recycling or cutting down waste. It is one thing to talk about it however and another to participant in activities that impact on these important issues. In this article we give you five great ways to get children involved in reducing waste at school and at home.

1. Recycle as much as you can

First things first, if they don’t already know, explain the concept of recycling to your children and then think together about what kind of recycling you could do together at home. Try taking a trip to your local recycling plant and see how different types of materials are processed, then come home and make up collecting bins for each. Challenge your kids to see how many of the things they would ordinarily throw away are actually recyclable and reward them when they do it well.

2. Make home-made goods

One of the best ways to reduce waste at home is to avoid buying products with lots of packaging. An easy way to do that is to start making more at home. There are lots of things you would usually buy that can be home-made, avoiding the waste that would otherwise be produced. Cleaning products, food items etc. Often you will have the ingredients at home already. Why not start with home-made ice-cream? Next time you’re having a movie night and feel like a chilled snack, instead of heading out to the store learn how to make ice-cream instead. If you’re not exactly sure how to make ice-cream use some of the handy online guides to help!

3. Find non-disposable alternatives

Another waste-reducing option great for both home and school is to look at what you use a lot and find non-disposable alternatives. For example, if your child takes a packed lunch into school each day in a brown paper bag swap it for a re-useable lunch sack. Likewise, when kids’ clothes or physical education kit get holes in them teach kids to sew them up, rather than simply throwing things away.

4. Use up food leftovers

Food waste is a big environmental issue and another factor over which families have a lot of control. Teach kids whether at home or at school not to simply throw out the food they don’t want. Most things can be stored in the fridge to be eaten later as a snack. At the weekend try some recipes to transform leftovers from one meal into something delicious for the next.

5. Spread the word to friends and family

One of the best ways children can impact the environment and participate in important social issues like waste reduction is to be advocates for change in their community. Teach kids to understand and discuss the issues. This will give them the confidence to speak up at school when excess waste is being produced. Being a smart, savvy advocate is a great skill to teach your child and one that will stand them in good stead for the long term.

There are lots of ways to reduce waste at school and at home. Start a conversation with your kids about why this is important and just go from there!

Article Provided by: Tony Alter and Ame Rukwongsa