Top tips: Recycling tips
Teaching children about recycling can help them to develop lifelong skills for sustainability and caring for the environment. Review our top tips to encourage children and families to take part in recycling projects in your setting and the local community.
Top recycling tips
- Gather packaging items and look at the recycling symbol. Discuss what they mean. Talk to children about how they recycle at home
- Collect a range of recyclable and non-recyclable objects and sit with children to sort out which can be recycled
- Be good role models for recycling and repurposing. Create a ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ approach in your setting
- Introduce recycling bins in the setting and encourage children to recycle appropriate items into the bins
- Introduce recycling bins externally for families to get involved, for example, recycling empty drinks cans
- Create a clothes swap station, where parents can donate clothes that they no longer use and pick up clothing donated by others, including shoes and wellies etc.
- Get involved with local litter picking schemes and encourage families to get involved too
- Create your own compost bin to teach children how to recycle food scraps
- Review your environmental sustainability policy, if you have one
- Consider the DfE policy paper ‘Sustainability and climate change: a strategy for the education and children’s services systems’ to see how you can work towards its strategic aims.
NDNA products to support you with this tip
Environmental Sustainability Policy – Policies and Procedures
Disclaimer: Activities with children must always be risk assessed, including for allergies or choking. Children must always have adequate supervision. Resources and materials must always be appropriate for children’s age and stage of development.
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