Being environmentally conscious is not just for adults. There are plenty of things that kids can do to help the Earth, such as reusing items to reduce waste and  learning what can be recycled.

Reusing Items for Kids

An easy way to teach kids about reusing items to create less waste starts at lunchtime. Instead of sending kids to school with a brown paper lunch bag each day, buy a fabric lunch bag to use day after day. Explain to children that all of those brown bags pile up in the garbage and, in turn, in landfills. The landfills pollute the Earth. By using a fabric lunch bag, there is going to be less trash on the Earth.

Reinforce this idea at the grocery store with children. Use fabric bags instead of paper or plastic bags. Have children help put away the groceries. Make a pile of plastic bags to show just how much plastic-bag waste was saved in just one shopping trip.

Have children gather old toys that they no longer play with. Ask kids if there might be a better alternative to throwing them in the garbage. Could the toys be given to a younger sibling, family member, or friend? Could they be donated to a local organization? Could they be sold at a garage sale? Impress the idea that these items can be reused by other people rather than taking up space in a landfill.

Teaching Kids to Recycle

Good recycling habits start at home and school for kids. Explain to children that recycling means taking something old and making it into something new. Provide opportunities for recycling by keeping separate bins at home for cardboard, paper, metal, plastic, etc. Model the process of recycling and then make a quiz game out of it. Give children several items and ask which ones can be placed into the specific bins.

There are several items that can be recycled that will blow kids’ minds. For example, sneakers can be recycled and made into playground floors! Visit Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe program website to learn about the process. Collect old sneakers from around the house. (Just make sure they align with the guidelines.) Then, find a local drop-off point. If children are really keen on the idea of sneaker recycling, make it a neighborhood or school effort to see how many pairs of old kicks they can recycle.

Teaching kids good eco-friendly habits at a young age is important. By teaching these skills at a young age, these habits will be life-long practices.