Small changes make a world of difference!
It is never too early to start good habits in relation to recycling and being kind to our planet. The small changes we make at home now help protect the future for our children, and there are ways to get your child involved too!
Small changes will soon become routine, making them easier to sustain with little extra effort. Our children will have a better understanding of waste, consumerism and how to better take care of our planet.
When waste can’t be prevented, or products and materials can’t be reused, then recycling is the next option on the waste hierarchy. Materials are turned into new products reducing the need for raw materials, this can also include composting (what can be recycled and put out on the kerbside for collection will differ slightly from council to council).
Top tips:
- Keep it simple and manageable: create your own recycling system to sort your items – you can make this accessible to all by putting labels, symbols, or pictures on boxes so that everyone knows what goes in each box
- Turn it into a sorting game: as your child helps you clear up, they can use the symbols to put items into the right box and play a sorting game
- Avoid single use items: such as disposable cutlery, cups, drink bottles, food containers, and balloons – making simple swaps to reusable items such as washable cutlery (metal/plastic), bottles/cups, Tupperware/lunchboxes will create a significant impact in reducing these items and waste, which can quite often end up in the sea and endangering our wildlife
- Go eco-friendly: items such as bamboo toothbrushes are eco-friendly because they are biodegradable
- Donate clothes and buy second-hand: instead of clothes going in the bin pass them on, donate to charity shops, and sell or buy clothes at local events/second-hand websites/boot sales – not only will this reduce waste in landfills and the negative impact of ‘fast fashion’, you will also be saving and making money too!
- Reuse and repair: some damaged items, such as toys, can be repaired and reused to tackle ‘throwaway culture’ and reduce waste
- Try using cloth nappies and reusable wipes: Cloth Nappies – TLC
- Explore some ‘box play’ with your unwanted cardboard: Box Play – TLC
- Check your local council’s recycling schemes so you know what you can put out on kerbside: Kerbside collections | Love Essex Microsite
- Find out what your local recycling centres offer in services: Find a recycling centre | Love Essex Microsite
- Check what supermarkets have to offer: lots of supermarkets collect stretchy plastic and used household batteries to recycle, so you can drop them off when you do your shopping
- Remember: keep new and used batteries out of reach from children and pets to avoid choking and swallowing – if a battery is swallowed seek emergency medical help
