Collecting waste for recycling pickup helps your household become more environmentally friendly. Since kids may not have much experience, you can get them in the routine by rewarding them with a late bedtime or sleepover. Here are some more tips to help them with the family’s recycling efforts.

4 Tips to Prepare Kids for Weekly Recycling Pickup

1. Let Your Kids Decorate the Recycling Bins

Letting your kids decorate the bins will encourage their participation. Buy them the stickers, paint, and markers that they’ll need to add their creations to the containers. Decorating will be fun, and they’ll become eager to use the receptacles and admire their creations regularly.

2. Recycle Consistently

Just as you teach your kids to put their garbage in the proper receptacle for trash pickup, you can teach them to use the recycling bins early too. If they start learning these practices at young ages, they’ll see them as their regular household responsibilities. By the time they reach their preteen years, separating items for recycling will be a normal part of their routine.

3. Use a Reward System 

You can encourage better participation by offering your kids rewards for filling up their recycling bins. Give them each a recycling bin and tell them that the one to fill up their container the fastest will be rewarded with a later bedtime, a weekend sleepover, or another prize. This will encourage them to think twice about the items they toss in the trash going forward.

4. Teach Them About the Importance of Recycling 

You can help your kids understand why you recycle by educating them about the process. Rather than just telling them why it’s important, you can take them to visit a recycling facility. Some facilities offer tours, and their staff members will be happy to answer all of your children’s questions. This lets them learn something new in an interactive environment, so they will feel like they are helping to make the world a better place.

If you need a recycling pickup service after your kids decorate their bins, use the professionals at X Waste Inc located in Pekin, IL. They recycle items including cardboard materials, newspapers, tin and aluminum cans, and certain plastics. To request service, visit their website or call (309) 353-4388. You can view their recycling schedule online.