How to set up a Recycling station at home

Happy Earth Day 2014!
What will you do to save our planet? Here is a simple idea: a recycling station at home!

Each country has it own ways to recycle items like plastics, tins, paper etc. Here in South Africa there are a few ways to easily recycle. For instance: Mondi(a local paper produce company) has a free service that they offer where they give you a orange bag(called a Ronnie bag) and on a certain day you have to leave your paper and cardboard in the bag on your kerb and they pick it up to recycle. They have this initiative at schools too, where each child has a mini bag to fill and bring to a bin in the school yard.

Some people make a living going through trash cans to collect plastic bottles and exchanging it at the plastic factory for money. Certain glass bottles can be exchanged at local cafes or liquor stores for a small amount of money.

At big supermarkets you will find bins to place items in like plastic bags, batteries, cartridges etc. and they will dispose of it in a proper(and safe) way.

Here is how our simple recycling station look like:

 

We only have these three, plastic bags, bottles and paper/cardboard bins at the moment, but will get more in time.

I’ve bought plastic clothes bins, because it is cheaper than trash cans, and lined them with refuse bags(or the Ronnie bag for paper).

My almost 4 year old helped with the signs, looking for plastic bottles and cardboard items in the newspaper’s advertisements. This is a great activity for the kids. They help look for items that fit a certain criteria(identifying and sorting skills used here, and cutting skills used when cutting the pictures), and then they will remember what items must go where when they have to sort the actual recyclables.

 

And of course we keep some of the recyclables to craft with too! You will find these crafts on our Recycle & Create Pinterest Board!

You may like our post on ALLterNATIVE Learning’s site about Recycling in South Africa and there is a nice craft activity there too using a plastic bottle! And the whole Earth Day series on their site in great!

Join us to do your part for our planet too!