30 Extraordinary Recycling Facts For Kids That You Absolutely Need to Know

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If you want your kids to lead a better life on a healthier planet, then recycling is the most effective way. Prepare your kids mentally by instilling the concept of recycling into them from a very early age. That way, they can inherit those good habits for life. Nurture them with a better understanding of how putting little efforts on recycling can make this planet a better living place. Your next-generation should realize that they are doing it for their good. Be responsible and also grow your child as a responsible one.

What is Recycling?

It merely is the ways by which you can utilize used organic materials all over again. By organic materials, we mean paper, cardboard, glass, textiles, plastics, electronics, computer and accessories or metals. You can transform the trash into a new product.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Three super ways to help the planet is following the phrase Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Reduce: Use only what you need and reduce your waste. Reduce the items that you buy, use, and throw away.

Reuse: Reuse a product and extend its life rather than buying a new one. If your job gets done by reusing a product, then what’s the harm? Reuse things as much as you can. Indulge your little wonders to think of innovative ways and reuse the stuff he or she already has to manage their need. That way, it will also boost their intelligence and creativity!

Recycle: It’s easy. Just be careful where are you are putting the materials. Certain materials should be placed in recycle bin instead of the trash bin. Many cities keep blue recycling bins which are picked up on trash day. Also search for your local recycle drop-off centers, curbside collection, and there may be even buy back locations! Recycling always saves maximum energy than needed to make the new one.

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Here we go with 30 recycling facts to prepare the kids from the nascent stage of life.

30 Amazing Recycling Facts For Kids

#Fact 1

Our ancestors from ancient civilization started recycling thousands of years ago. They used to melt old metal products such as sword, knives, and other household items to make coins and new items.

#Fact 2

Each ton recycled paper saves 17 trees, 7,000 gallons of water, 4,000 kilowatts of electricity, 2 barrels of oil, and three cubic yards of landfill space. You can power 1 home for 5 months from the energy saved.

#Fact 3

Papers & Newspapers should be on top of the list of recyclable objects. The reason is that paper comes from trees. At present times we cannot afford to cut trees. An average family uses paper worth 6 trees each year. Every year about 900 million trees are sacrificed for meeting the raw materials requirement for American paper and pulp mills.

#Fact 4

One tree is capable of filtering up to 60 pounds of pollutants from the air every year. Recycle your old books, copies, homework papers, newspapers and any used papers so that new paper can be made from them by recycling and no new trees are cut down!

#Fact 5

Donate your toys to charity to make them available for reuse and share your joy, also making other children happy who cannot afford them.

#Fact 6

You love doing crafts and need cardboards? Then use the shoe box, other food packets made of paper. Why go for buying new cardboard or mount board?

#Fact 7

If you need one napkin, that’s ok. No need to take a whole handful! Preferably use a washcloth instead of paper napkins for each member of the family. You can wash them whenever needed, and see the family will save from not buying disposable paper products anymore.

#Fact 8

While you shop at a grocery store, reuse plastic bags to recycle them or bring reusable bags made of cloth with you.

Similarly, use a ballpoint pen that takes refills, or one that comes with a refillable cartridge.

#Fact 9

Aluminum cans like soda cans are the easily recyclable object. One aluminum can save energy enough for watching television for 3 hours! Only 5% of the energy gets used to recycling old aluminum into a new one. Aluminum can also be recycled from bicycles, cans, computers, cookware, cars, planes, wires, and other relevant sources.

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#Fact 10

Try to recycle all the aluminum cans you have as a single aluminum can remain in a landfill for at least 500 years. Yes, you heard that right!

#Fact 11

Powerful magnets are used for sorting different types of metals while recycling. Small things like metal coat hangers and empty aerosol cans can also be recycled.

#Fact 12

About 4 million plastic bottles are used by Americans every day. Surprised? If you lined up plastic bottles thrown each year, they could go round the planet four times. They can be water, juice, sports drink and other bottles used in kitchen or containers such as shampoo bottles used in bathrooms! These plastic bottles can be easily reused and recycled.

#Fact 13

Around 11% of our household waste is plastic out of which 40% are plastic bottles.

#Fact 14

You can power your computer for 25 minutes from the energy saved by recycling one plastic bottle, and an adult fleece jacket can be made from 25 two-liter plastic bottles.

#Fact 15

Drink water from a reusable sports bottle or glass at home and reduce the waste of plastic water bottles.

#Fact 16

In the United States, 17 million barrels of oil are used each year to produce the plastic water bottles.

#Fact 17

Glass can be recycled repeatedly, and recycling of glass can avoid release of 315 kilograms of extra carbon dioxide that get released in case of producing new glass, and it also saves 75% of energy. The glass retains its color even after recycling, so they are often separated as per colors. However, broken glasses should be thrown away.

#Fact 18

Glass jars and bottles can be reused and recycled super easily. Recycling one glass bottle will also help you save energy that can illuminate a 100-watt electric bulb for 4 hours.

#Fact 19

Never throw used batteries in trash or landfill. If they are burned with other wastes or left to decompose, they release chemicals into the air, and also into the soil. Therefore these must be recycled.

#Fact 20

Reuse the torn textiles and old clothes as cleaning dusters or mop. You can even turn your old T-shirt into a car rag.

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#Fact 21

Recycling saves money. It takes $30 per ton to recycle most of the products whereas it sometimes takes up to $100 to carry the trash to the landfill and burn them. Moreover, this pollutes the air and the surroundings.

#Fact 22

The volume of paper we tossed away annually would be enough for heating 50000 homes for two decades.

#Fact 23

17 trees are cut down to meet the requirement of wood and paper products of an American each year, and those products can be easily recycled.

#Fact 24

75% of garbage is recyclable. However, in the US, only 30% is recycled.

#Fact 25

A single average US citizen throws out around five pounds of garbage every day, which means 251 tons per year per person!

#Fact 26

500 pieces of junk mail received annually by an American are thrown away. That costs millions of trees. So recycle junk mails, including glossy and matte paper.

#Fact 27

Do separate e-waste. It is mostly recyclable but needs to be taken to a recycling center and should not be placed in curbside containers.

#Fact 28

Putting trash in the recycling bin is a punishable offense. Doing that the entire load gets converted into the dumpster. If you are caught doing this, authorities even charge you an extra fee as a penalty.

#Fact 29

As food can be composted, it was not recycled earlier. However, now many Councils collect green waste like plant cuttings, lawn clippings, including household food scraps and turn them into fertilizers and mulches for gardening and farming.

#Fact 30

You can further reduce waste by doing a few more wise things.

  • Shut off the water while brushing teeth.
  • Unplug cell phone chargers when charging is done.
  • Turn your PC to sleep mode instead of leaving it running with the screen on.
  • Turn off lights you are not using.

To conclude, set up your own recycle bin at home beside trash bin to separate waste conveniently, buy vintage everything as they are most eco-friendly and do not bring more plastic into your life. And always keep in mind the three magic words – Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

References:

https://www.reusethisbag.com/articles/kids-guide-to-recycling/

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/recycling.html

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