A Kid's Guide to Recycling and Keeping Plastic out of Landfills
Recycling is one of the easiest and most important ways we can help keep our planet clean and healthy. When we recycle, we take materials like glass, metal, and plastic that we might otherwise throw away and turn them into something new! This helps reduce waste, save energy, and protect the environment.
Recycling Glass
Glass is one of the best materials to recycle because it can be melted down and used again and again without losing its quality. Melting down recycled glass allows us to preserve our natural resources, such as sand, which is used to make glass. It also uses less energy than making new glass because it can be done at a lower temperature. Many of the bottles and jars we use at home, like juice bottles, jam jars, and other food containers, are made of glass. To recycle glass, remove the lid to be recycled separately with the metal cans or plastics, then rinse out the glass container and put it into your recycle bin. Once glass containers are recycled and processed, that same glass could make its way back to a store shelf in as little as 30 days! In addition to recycling the glass containers that you have at home, you might consider reusing them as storage containers, drinking glasses, or decorations, which also keeps them from being thrown away.
- Facts About Glass Recycling
- Glass Recycling 101
- All About Recycling Glass
- Not All Glass Can Be Recycled
- How Is Glass Recycled?
Recycling Cans
Cans, such as those made from aluminum and tin, are another great material to recycle. Think about all the soda cans, canned food, and pet food cans we use every day. Instead of throwing them away, we can recycle them and turn them into brand-new cans without the need for new resources to be used. Recycling cans saves energy and keeps harmful materials that may be released into the environment when cans are made to a minimum. Recycling just one aluminum can saves enough energy to power a television for three hours! That's a lot of energy saved when you multiply it by the number of cans that people use every day. In addition to recycling cans with your local waste hauler, you can also look for a deposit program that will offer money for your aluminum containers. Make sure they are rinsed out, and leave the cans whole unless your recycling program tells you otherwise.
- Aluminum: The Most Recycled Material in the World
- Ten Aluminum Facts
- How Are Aluminum Cans Recycled?
Recycling Plastic
Plastics are used to make many different products that we use at home, including water bottles, milk jugs, yogurt cups, and shopping bags. The problem is that plastic takes a very long time to break down once it's no longer being used; that's why recycling it is so important. If not properly recycled, plastic bottles and other waste can end up in our oceans, where it can harm marine life, or in our landfills, where it can take a hundred years for the plastic to fully degrade or break down. To put that in perspective, the first fully synthetic plastic, made without natural rubber or cellulose, was created in 1907. That means that there was the potential for that very first plastic to still be on Earth in 2007, which wasn't all that long ago. And every type of plastic breaks down at a different rate: For example, it can take up to 500 years for a plastic bottle to break down in a landfill.
To help lessen the need for new plastics to be made, avoid single-use plastics, like straws and plastic utensils, whenever possible. Opt for reusable alternatives instead. If you do need to use plastics, make sure they have the recycling symbol on them so you can recycle them when you're done.
- The Plastic Recycling Process
- Nine Simple Plastic Recycling Tips
- Seven Things You Didn't Know About Plastics
How Kids Can Help Keep the Environment Clean
Kids play an important role in making sure our planet is cared for. One way you can help is by sorting recycling at home and making sure that items are clean and properly sorted into the bin they belong in. Kids and adults alike can choose to reuse items whenever possible, such as using a reusable water bottle instead of disposable single-use plastic bottles or turning old glass bottles and jars into creative craft projects.
Encouraging friends and family to recycle is another great way for kids to make a difference, as well as participating in local cleanup events at parks, beaches, or playgrounds. At school, kids can reduce waste by packing lunch in reusable containers, using both sides of a piece of paper, and recycling materials when they're no longer needed. Every small effort counts, and when we all pitch in, we make the world a cleaner, greener place.
