It is very hard for your kids to understand the amount of waste that is generated every year in the U.S. and how it is disposed or recycled. You may tell your child that 250 million tons of municipal solid waste are produced every year, but can they really understand what this means?
The best way to help kids understand the scale of waste management in the U.S. is to teach them on how well to dispose of various materials. It is very crucial to teach your kids what should go in the recycle bin, trash can, or composter, and what will be reused.
Many children simply toss trash into the garbage can in every case. In order to improve the health of humans and the environment for several decades to come, the parents have to teach their kids about the management of waste and how it has a major impact on our lives.
Here are several ways that you can teach your kids about responsible waste management:
Ways to Teach Your Kids About Responsible Waste Management
1. Set an example
Always kids tend to do things that they see their parents doing. Set a good standard for kids and they will follow suit. You can set an example by:
- Composting yard waste, paper products, or food scraps.
- Avoiding littering!
- Setting up a curbside recycling service.
2. Take to the internet
In this century, there is this great thing called the Internet. Make use of the internet. There many free different resources out there that may help to teach your kids about the responsible waste management, such as removal, composting, recycling, and reusing. Many kids spend many hours a day on the internet, so take advantage of their love for the Web by exploring some fun and interesting sites together about trash.
Many internet resources focus on teaching kids how to handle waste responsibly over at Parenting Magazine. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), the EPA, and NASA have websites with colouring pages, fun games, and videos that aim at teaching kids about waste.
3. Take a field trip
Many waste-to-energy plants are across the country which allows you to tour the facilities. Most of them require you to give a call and schedule a tour. These facilities help show kids firsthand how the future of waste handling looks like. Kids see the process of the way garbage is converted into energy.
It is a very good process for both the adults and children to see in person. There are about 100 waste-to-energy plants that are located in 25 states in the country.
4. Head to the museum
Across the country, several museums focus on how to reduce, repurpose, and handle trash responsibly. Here are some examples:
- Quittapahilla Creek Garbage Museum in Annville, Pennsylvania
- The CRRA Trash Museum in Hartford, Connecticut
- The New children’s Museum ‘Fun with Trash Exhibit’ in San Diego, California.
You can also search online to find other trash-related exhibits at the museum that are near you.
5. Volunteering to clean up the neighbourhood
Almost every community in America has some kind of neighbourhood cleanup occasion at least once a year. Involve your kids in the community cleanup initiatives, so that they experience what is like to make a difference in the community which they live in.
Contact the town or city officials to inquire about the events of waste removal such as a beach, roadside, and river cleanups. You can also search online to know of the cleanup event near you.
Your kids will take pride in the community and help to keep the environment clean and free of litter.
6. Reuse when possible
Talk to your kids about how to reuse some types of waste instead of tossing it in the trash bin. Reuse of waste materials reduces the impact on the environment and also reduces the amount of waste that enters landfills. It will also save you money.
Conclusion
Teach your kids the importance of waste management. This is a fundamental knowledge that will help them to live a better and happier life. This is because they will avoid many issues such as living in a contaminated home, exposure to hazardous waste and they will learn these basics of waste management which they will use when they become adults in future.
Author Bio:
Ross is a blogger who loves to write primarily in the Gifting vertical. He has written many informative Blogs. He has also written blogs in other verticals too like personal development, unique gifting blogs. He co-authored Supercharge Organic Traffic: A popular course focusing on Organic Traffic for Ecommerce.
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