How to Recycle Plastic Bottles for Kids

Teaching kids about recycling gives them a head start to being environmentally aware. If you focus your recycling lesson on plastic bottles, kids will become more aware of how many plastic bottles they use in a day and where the bottles end up when they are finished using them. Kids can help keep the planet green by adopting environmentally friendly practices that they carry into adulthood.

Things You'll Need

• 2 trash bins

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Instructions

• 1

  Educate your child about what it means to recycle something. Recycling is the process of taking used materials and turning them into something that can be used again. For instance, plastic bottles that are recycled may not come back as bottles, but rather as plastic parts for machinery. Recycling is a way for manufacturers to cut back on original materials, which can be wasteful.

• 2

  Set up 2 trash bins in your home or school classroom. One trash can is for regular garbage -- items that cannot be recycled. The second trash can is for plastic bottles. Make the recycle bin stand out from the trash bin by labeling it with the recycling emblem, a giant picture of bottles or simply using one in a different color, such as bright blue. You can even create a sign that says "Plastic bottles go here."

• 3

  Show kids the steps to recycling plastic bottles. Plastic bottles must be completely empty before they can be thrown into the recycle bin. A plastic bottle that still contains a few sips of soda or juice can contaminate the recycle bin and make the items inside non-recyclable. Teach kids to wash out their plastic bottles with water, and allow them to dry, prior to throwing them into the recycle bin.

• 4

  Teach kids about identifying different types of plastic bottles. Underneath the plastic bottle is a number that lets consumers know whether or not the product is recyclable. these numbers are known as the Resin Identification Codes. You must find out from your county's recycling program what types of plastics are recyclable in your area. Not all recycling plants collect every type of plastic.

• 5

  Instruct kids to throw their plastic, clean, recyclable bottles into the recycle bin. When the bin fills up to the top it is time to empty it into the recycle dumpster in the neighborhood or at school. To make an activity out of it, have kids keep track of how many plastic bottles they recycle in a week.