One of the best ways you can help your children become responsible stewards of the earth is to introduce them to recycling while they're still young. To help you do that Green Earth recycling center in Harrisonburg, VA, explains below how to teach your kids to recycle and make it as fun as easy as possible. This information should help you show them how to make wise, environmentally friendly decisions as they grow older.

How to Teach Your Kids About Recycling

Tour a Recycling Plant

Kids typically love to learn how things work, especially when it involves sorters, conveyors, and other interesting machinery. A tour of a recycling center will help them learn how plastics, metals, and paper are sorted, crushed, and reused, and it will show them the sheer volume of materials that, if not recycled, would simply go to waste in a landfill.

Turn Recycling into a Game

Scatter some of your recyclables around the yard or the house, and have your kids don gloves and race around picking them up and placing them in the right bin. Keep track of who recycled the most items, and make sure each item was placed in the right bin.

Take Litter Walks

Take your children on a walk or bike ride around the neighborhood in search of litter. Place trash into a waste bin, but have them sort any cans, bottles, or other recyclables into the proper recycling bin once you reach home. Then have them accompany you to the recycling center to dispose of the items you collected.

Model Responsible Behavior

Kids often mimic the behavior of their parents, so model the behaviors you want them to learn. For instance, take a reusable grocery bag to the market instead of using plastic or brown paper bags. Buy products in bulk to minimize packaging, and minimize waste by purchasing refillable water bottles and a filter instead of buying cases of bottled water.

The tips above should help you introduce your children to recycling in a way that makes caring for the planet fun.  For waste disposal service or to rent a residential or construction dumpster, contact Green Earth recycling center.  They've been serving businesses and residents throughout the Shenandoah Valley since 2001 and make recycling as convenient as possible. Visit their website to connect with them online or call (540) 801-8668 to discuss your options.