RECYCLING

HOW CAN WE REDUCE, REUSE, & RECYCLE IN THE CLASSROOM?

  • Reduce the amount of products you buy, use and throw away

  • Set up a recycling bin. Your home should be equipped with recycling bins throughout the house. Make it easy to separate recyclables from other trash.

  • Recycle as many cans, bottles, books, metal, aluminum, glass, newspapers and electronics you can

  • Reuse things as much as you can – turn that old t-shirt into a car rag!

  • Shut off the water when brushing your teeth

  • Instead of paper napkins, use a washcloth for each member of the family. Keep the washcloths in a drawer for the week and use them at each meal. Wash them as needed. This can encourage the whole family to stop buying disposable paper products altogether.

  • Unplug chargers for your cell phone when not using it

  • Put your PC to sleep instead of leaving it running with the screen on

  • Turn off lights you are not using


WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO RECYCLE?

Recycling is the process of taking materials ready to be thrown away and converting (changing) them into reusable materials. This is important to reducing trash in the world's landfills, which pollute Earth's soil, water, and air.

Recycling also helps preserve natural resources, or materials that occur naturally and are used to make products - like when we use trees to make paper. When we don't recycle and reuse, we risk depleting (using up) our natural resources.


PARENTS:

HOW CAN YOU HELP YOUR CHILD PRACTICE RECYCLING?


Do’s

  • Check local recycling requirements. Not every plant is set up the same way to handle the same items.

  • Separate your items. Most cities today require that trash and recyclables be separated into different containers.

  • Recycle paper containing staples or envelopes with plastic. The metal and plastic is eventually sorted out.

  • Separate lids and jars, cartons and bottles so the containers can be crushes easily during the recycling.

  • Recycle junk mail. Most adults get large quantities each week and most of it can be recycled. Glossy and matte paper is okay too.

  • Remove caps from all glass bottles. Also verify if your community takes glass from curbside recycling containers.

  • Rinse aluminum and steel cans to make them easier to process.

  • Recycle empty aerosol cans and metal coat hangers.

  • Separate e-waste. Most of it can be recycled but it generally needs to be taken to a recycling center and not placed in curbside containers.

Don’ts

  • Try to recycle broken glasses and bottles. These should be thrown away.

  • Throw yard waste into recycling bins. Grass clippings and leaves should be hauled away at the next brush pick up date or placed in a green yard waste container that some cities have.

  • Try to recycle waxed cardboard or styrofoam.

  • Recycle pizza boxes.

  • Recycle auto parts, plumbing parts or any combination of metal and paper

  • Put trash in the recycling bin. This can make the entire load into trash. Some cities will even charge you an extra fee if they catch you doing this.

  • Recycle mirrors, fluorescent tubes, light bulbs or safety glass

  • Recycle food. Food can be composted but it cannot be recycled. Also, all food cans, bottles and containers should be free of food waste before being recycled.