Kids Recycling

Kids can make a difference for the environment. It doesn’t matter how big you are or how old you are. Whether you’re 5 or 15, kids can make a difference by recycling more plastics and other stuff.

• What Plastics Can Become
• What Kids Can Do
• Discover More

What Plastics Can Become

One of the things all of us can do to protect and improve our environment is: recycling.  Today a plastic bottle may contain juice or water or soda … but what can it become after you use it? Let’s take a look at some of the everyday plastics that you use and what they can become.   Milk Jugs & Other Plastic Containers Bottles and containers used for milk, shampoo, laundry detergent and household cleaners are lightweight and tough – but they usually are made from a different type of plastic than beverage bottles. What can they become? When they are recycled they can make new bottles and containers, plastic lumber, picnic tables, lawn furniture, playground equipment, recycling bins and more.     Plastic Bags and Wraps We use plastic bags to carry home groceries. They keep our bread and other food fresh. They even let us carry goldfish home from the pet store. Today there are thousands of grocery and retail stores to collect these bags for recycling, including most Target, Walmart, Lowes, Safeway stores and more. And remember that at all these places, we also can recycle lots of the plastic wraps that protect the things we buy (even bubble wrap!). What can they become? When they are recycled plastic bags and wraps can made into plastic lumber that is used to make park benches, backyard decks and fences – even playground equipment. They also can be recycled into new plastic bags – and then recycled again.  Check out this web site that talks about recycling plastic bags and find out where you can recycle them in your community. Botttles Plastic bottles for soft drinks, juice and water are a handy way to conquer thirst …and they don’t shatter if you drop them. What can they become? When…

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What Kids Can Do

Kids can make a difference for the environment. It doesn’t matter how big you are or how old you are. As another Dr. Seuss character Horton the Elephant reminded us: “A person’s a person, no matter how small.” And every person counts.  Whether you’re 5 or 15, you can make a difference by recycling more plastics and other stuff. Here are some things that you and your friends can do to change the ways things are.   Tell your teachers about educational resources on plastics and recycling There are many sources of information on plastics and plastics recycling on the Internet that your teachers would find useful. Hands on PlasticsTM offers fun science education activities that your teachers can use in your classroom. Here is information for your teachers if you’re in elementary school and if you’re in middle school.     Earn money for schools or charities by recycling Founded by a 20 year old college student, a company called TerraCycle collects lots of used plastic (and other) packaging and products such as candy wrappers, drink pouches, cereal bags – even lap tops and digital cameras. TerraCycle turns this waste into more than 1,500 products that are available at stores such as Walmart and Whole Foods. What’s even better? TerraCycle let’s you earn money to help schools or charities. Check out how this works (you will need a person 13 or older to help sign up). Getting a new cell phone? Recycle your old one. More than 100 million cell phones are no longer used annually. If we recycled all of them, we would save enough energy to power 18,500 U.S. homes for a year. Check out the ways you (and your friends and parents) can recycle cell phones. http://www.epa.gov/cellphones/ http://www.epa.gov/waste/partnerships /plugin/cellphone/index.htm http://www.epa.gov/waste/partnerships /plugin/cellphone/pdf/cell-flyer.pdf Start a plastic bag recycling…

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Discover More

Plastics.  It’s a space age material that continues to find new uses … including uses that help protect the environment.  And we continue to find new ways to recycle more plastics. Check out these ideas to discover more about plastics – particularly plastics recycling and plastic products that help protect the environment. Download coloring pages to learn more about recycling plastics Young kids can color…and connect the dots…and create a picture frame…and more, all while learning how to recycle more plastics. Click the links below and download all of them! Recycle Match cut and paste (page 1 of 2) Recycle Match cut and paste (page 2 of 2) Recycling Connect the Dots 'Recycling Superstar' color me picture frame Material Match: match the recyclable material to the correct recycling bin Play 'Bin It'- the recycling game for Iphone and Ipad Sure, you’ve recycled plastic containers before, but can you: Toss an empty plastic bottle into the recycling bin from across the kitchen …with a monkey screaming overhead? How about on a fashion runway … with paparazzi bears flashing their cameras at you? Or from the three-point line … with a giant penguin as the referee? Add a tricky crosswind that blows your bottles off course to make it even more difficult … and now you’re playing Bin It – a fun and challenging new game that challenges you to recycle! Bin It is now available for free download in the App Store. Toss your plastic bottles into the bin to turn them into new products – see how many recycled t-shirts, sweaters or sleeping bags you can create. Share Bin It with your friends. And remember: Bin It on the iPhone, on the iPad and (most importantly) in your everyday life! Trains to ride on recycled plastics? Railroad ties hold train…

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