How to get children involved in waste management
Waste management is an important part of our daily activities and this makes it essential for us to learn how to do this from a very young age. The sooner you show your children good waste management habits, the better.
The first thing you need to do is explain the differences to your children between the three main categories for waste management.
- Biodegradable materials that break down fast and are easy to use as fertilizers
- Non-biodegradable that take years and even decades or more to break down. This includes plastics and clothing.
- Recyclable items that are ready to be reused in different ways.
Once your child knows those basics, the process of helping them learn proper waste management habits is going to be much easier. Most children are very happy to start contributing to their environment, but it’s hard for them to do this without being guided.
Why is it important to teach kids about waste management?
There are many reasons why this I very important, and we could start by reminding them of the consequences that it involves. When children can do something that helps the environment, they gain a sense of responsibility and it also allows them to exercise their discipline.
Another important lesson is that their actions are going to have consequences. In this case, the consequences of taking action are positive, and the consequences of failing to take action are negative.
Last but not least, when children become aware of the environment and the role that they play in is protection, they will start caring or this topic and it will make them feel like they are part of something bigger.
The best ways to teach them waste management
Now that you have gone through the basics and you have a clearer idea of what you are going to get out of teaching your kids about this topic, you need to consider the approach that you will use to get them interested in waste management.
Reward them for their efforts
You don’t need to reward your children for everything they do right, but you could establish a reward system when they have shown to put enough effort into any project. The idea is to reward them when their efforts are substantial.
Curiosity is always a powerful factor
Think of anything that your child finds interesting and use that as your focus point to teach them about the environment and waste management. When you do this, you will be able to achieve optimal results from your efforts.
When children are able to feel curious about any topic, it becomes something that they will enjoy and that is the key factor to consider when teaching them about waste management.
Get involved in the process with them
This is going to be very important because it will give you both something to share that is going to strengthen your bond. Children appreciate it when their parents want to be involved in activities with them. You could help your child distribute items for different recycling bins and other similar activities.
You could also volunteer together for neighbourhood clean-ups and this is going to be a very fun activity that you are both going to enjoy as a team.
Let them know that the environment is essential for life
It is hard for a child to understand the concept of life and death, but you can let them know how the environment plays a crucial role in providing something as essential as oxygen, to our lives.
When a child is more aware of the value of saving the environment, this is going to help them develop a sense of responsibility. Perhaps they will not be fully aware of the many dangers that come from environmental damage, but they will have a good idea of the consequences of not protecting their environment with their contributions.
Teach them the value of reusing items
Show your child that many of the items they use once can be reused many times. For example, a simple and very reliable way to teach them this concept is with supermarket plastic bags. Their initial use is to help you carry groceries, but once they reach your home, they can be reused as rubbish bags.
Your child will benefit greatly from this type of activity
When your child is able to understand the importance of helping save the environment, they will develop a sense of empathy that is going to be very useful in every aspect of their lives.
This is also going to help them become responsible consumers as they grow up and start making decisions about how they want to spend their own money. It’s never too early to start developing good habits in life.
Show them how to reduce household waste
There are many ways to reduce the amount of waste that we create in our households. A good way to do this is to show your child how the scraps in your kitchen can be used to fertilize the soil.
Teach them that no effort is ever too small
They may wonder why other people are not as interested in the environment as you are. The best way to approach this is to tell them that they can set an example to get those people interested.
Show them how their efforts can help change other people’s minds and attitudes towards the environment. You can also explain how small scale efforts can create large scale results when enough people get involved.
Show them the value of a skip
Skip hire are very popular in many areas because they help make the process of collecting waste and disposing of it much easier. This is why GetSkip and other providers, are always good options to encourage them to engage in waste management activities.
Final thoughts
A child is able to understand more complex topics than we imagine, but we need to be patient, and we need to create a connection between what we want to teach them and something that they enjoy.
Once we are able to do this, the process of teaching them anything we want is going to become much easier. Don’t forget that children are very receptive to new things, but they expect those things to be fun and fascinating if you want to keep their attention long enough.