Waste

There are many items we use every day that once finished with, are thrown in the bin. Unfortunately, this results in piles of rubbish ending up at landfills, and as the organic matter begins to decompose, dangerous greenhouse gases are released. Everything from the soil, water and air, to the health of the local community is affected. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle are most common methods to reduce landfill waste.

Activity Ideas

Food Waste

WRAP reported that the total household food waste in the UK is now 7.1 million tonnes, almost three-quarters is food we could have eaten and worth around £15 billion. This works out to be almost £70 per month for the average family with children.
Homes in the UK throw away the following amounts of food every day:

Composting

You can help your child understand and take responsibility for the food waste they may generate by introducing them to the basic principles of composting. By reusing the unwanted food we reduce the amount of organic waste that ends up in landfills.

Make your own

Plastic Bottle Composter You will need the following:

Make a flip top in the bottle by cutting a third of the way down the bottle. Place a layer of soil in the bottom of the bottle. If dry, moisten the soil with some water.

Add a thin layer of fruit and veg scraps, a thin layer of soil, a tablespoon of fertiliser and a layer of leaves and grass cuttings. Continue adding layers until the bottle is almost full.
Tape the flap shut and place it in a sunny location.
If moisture condenses on the sides of the bottle, remove the top to let it dry out. If it starts to look dry, add a little bit of water.
Roll the bottle around every day to mix the contents.
The compost is ready to use when it is brown and crumbly, this should take about a month.
If you already have a composter, you can create a Compost Treasure Hunt.
Ask your child to collect the rubbish you've created from the food you've eaten over the course of the day (wrappers, containers, tins, leftovers, fruit and vegetable peels). Help them to separate the rubbish into biodegradable and non-biodegradable piles.

Questions to Ask:

Then take the food items to the composter and allow children to feed some of the scraps to wild birds and animals.

Shopping

The earlier children pick up green habits, the easier it is to transfer them into your daily life.
Take cloth or reusable bags with you when you go shopping, my son has his own bag which he uses to help me carry things. When shopping, ask your child to find products that use the least amount of packaging.
According to Recycling Bins, a UK family uses an average of 500 glass bottles and jars every year. Glass is 100% recyclable and can be reused many times, milk bottles for example are used about 13 times before being recycled. However when thrown into landfills they will never decompose.

Crafts

When young children understand that the things they use can become other useful things, it can give them better reasons to want to reuse and recycle.

Fast Fashion

Clothing is currently being produced quickly to follow current trends, and as a result is usually poorly made. In 2015 about 300,000 tonnes of clothing in UK was being thrown away, by increasing the life of the clothes we wear, we will reduce their environmental impact.

Make your own

Paper and Cardboard

In 2017, paper and cardboard had the highest waste at 4.7 million tonnes in the UK with the average UK family throwing away 6 trees worth of paper every year.

Make your own

You can also ask your child to come up with inventive ways to reuse clothes, packing and empty containers.

Unwanted Items

It sometimes happens, you fall out of love with your former favourites, children love to help others so teaching them about giving, shows them the importance of thinking of others, and modelling kindness are important ways to help children grow up with a greater appreciation of what they have.
When your child has grown out of their clothes and shoes, or no longer uses certain toys or books, you can ask them to decide what they want to do with them.

Donating

Charities always need good quality items to sell in their shops, the money they raise from your items will go to a good cause. You can find your local charity stores with Charity Retail Association.

Swapping

Swapping unwanted items between friends and family is something we do quite often, it's a brilliant way for a catch up, get new items and save money too.

Selling

You can sell your unwanted items on various websites, and it's quick and easy. For expert guidance, check out the advice from the online platform you’re using before you start selling.
Or you can go the more traditional route of selling at jumble sales or car boot sales, or for your clothes your local cash-for-clothes outlets.

Recycling

Recycling reduces the need for extracting, refining and processing raw materials which create air and water pollution. Because recycling saves energy, it also reduces greenhouse gas emissions, helping to tackle climate change.
You can find out what your Local Authority recycles and what to do if you have a specific item you want to recycle.

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