Did you know that almost anything that is made from fabric can be re-used if it is in good condition, if it’s not in good condition it can still be recycled into a brand-new product?
Why not try teaching children about recycling through a little facts quiz using these 5 simple, but important statistics?
- Unwanted textiles and shoes make up 12% of landfill sites
- In only 1 year, the amount of unwanted and discarded clothing in the UK would fill Wembley Stadium
- Over 1 million tonnes of textiles are wasted in the UK every year
- 700,000 tonnes of recyclable textiles are sent to landfill every year, but at least 50% of this could easily be recycled
- By installing a clothing bin in your school, you could earn money from collecting unwanted clothes. Over 30% of unwanted clothes goes to landfill sites, even when it is easy to drop off at a textiles recycling bin or charity shop!
The sustainability of our planet and the daily changes we need to make means that everyone must take action. Teaching children about recycling from an early age is important; hopefully it will become second nature and they will continue to have the Earth’s wellbeing as a priority well into adulthood. But what measures can we take now to make recycling for children fun?
- Make recycle bins around the house – encourage the kids to make signs and pictures for the homemade bins, so everyone knows what goes where!
- Ask your child what they think the item is made from – when recycling, turn it into a sensory experience, get touchy feely with paper, cardboard and plastic items.
- Encourage your child to use both sides of a paper – ‘child art’ by the lorry load! How many pictures do your children create? Use less invasive tools such as crayons and coloured pencils to avoid any ‘bleed’.
- Think of creative ways to reuse the recycled materials you collect – how about a plastic bottle with holes in for plant watering or cut a larger hole in as use as a bird feeder?
- Take them with you when you visit a textiles recycling centre, or better still, a recycled clothing bank and help them deposit unwanted textiles that will help those less fortunate.
Teaching children about recycling can be fun!