There’s no question that we’re facing the most significant environmental challenge our generation has ever seen, and that’s why recycling is essential. Non-recyclable waste has a substantial negative impact on the natural environment; from it being dumped in landfill where it takes centuries to decompose and in the sea where it affects the sealife. Recycling helps to reduce the toxic chemicals and greenhouse gas emissions that pollute the air, as well as helping to reduce the need for raw materials, which in turn, helps to preserve our natural resources.

There’s no arguing with the fact that everyone should practice recycling, and so by teaching children the importance of recycling from such a young age, we can start to implement change in future generations. For our guidance on the most important things that you can recycle at school, continue reading this blog post.

Cans, cups and containers

Crayon trays – Use plastic margarine containers for stationery items – chalk, crayon and pencil boxes aren’t durable and they tear easily- making these a bad choice for storage containers.

Paint cups – Yoghurt pots double as the perfect paint cup; get your class to bring their used yoghurt pots into school, upcycling them as paint cups for art class. 

Cans – Soda cans can also double-up as superb arts and crafts materials, while coffee tins are perfect for storing supplies such as paintbrushes, pens and pencils. 

Glass jars – Jam, spread, pasta sauces and other glass jars are also ideal for storing knicks and knacks. Teachers and students can set up a storage bench where they use recycled jars for nails and screws, or organise sewing kits with cotton, buttons, and other small items.  

Cartons and cardboard 

Cartons – Egg cartons can be recycled into organisers or used for arts and crafts again.

Cardboard – Cardboard such as cereal boxes and other packaged foods work well for crafts and special projects at school- as opposed to paper! Those cardboard kitchen towels and toilet paper rolls can come in handy too; transform them into binoculars, a stargazer or even a birdfeeder.

Plastic lids and bottle caps

Eco bricks – There’s more plastic in the ocean than ever before – and still no signs of plastic production slowing down. A fantastic way to recycle plastic bottles is to create Ecobricks – which is a great way to teach children about the importance of cutting down on plastic and equally a fun activity for them to be involved in. A well-made ecobrick is very solid and can be used in simple construction and furniture. This technique is simple and is suitable for many types of waste plastic, and is an ideal solution for places with no waste management. 

Plastic lids – Collect plastic lids from coffee, yoghurt, butter, takeaway tubs or anything similar in size which you can use for crafts. The possibilities are endless for plastic lids is endless; think coasters, frames, plaques – or even frisbees. 

Water bottle caps – Plastic bottle tops are versatile and not only can they be used in crafts, but they also make ideal game pieces – pair with recycled cardboard, and you can create an entire board game! 

Hair dye bottles – Teachers and parents, are you always throwing out hair dye bottles? Don’t! Hair dye bottles make for great glue and paint bottles. 

Paper

All types of paper are recyclable, such as certain wrapping paper, calendars and already shredded paper – all of which you can reuse easily! Old calendars are a fantastic source for number writing, multiplication tables, and learning Roman numerals. While old posters and offcuts can be distributed during free-time and used for writing and drawing on. Old textbooks are also excellent learning material for language – use them to reinforce grammar and punctuation. 

Clothing

Donating clothes to charity is a great way to make use of clothes that you no longer need or wear. But those that are worn, stained or misshapen can be recycled, making for a fun transformational project for kids at school. Everything from patchwork quilts to tote bags and pillowcases to costumes, are just some of the wonderful things you can create from worn and outgrown clothing, so be sure to consider an alternative use before tossing them in the trash!  

Check out our website today to learn more about the various ways Fresco Environmental can help you reduce your waste and for further advice on the 5 things that you can recycle at school. We want to help you make a positive change and steer your waste away from landfills as much as possible, so let’s start reducing, recycling and reusing the products that we buy and waste today.