For those who work in a daycare facility, the thought of taking time out of your busy day to ensure everyone is “doing their part” to recycle and reduce waste is the last thing on your mind. However, considering the amount of daycare facilities that exist in the world, ensuring that waste diversion takes place in child care environments is crucial to the conservation of our planet.
When you think about it, a large portion of our population are dual-income based. This means that those same households with children 5 years of age and younger are in need of full-time, part-time or before- and after-school care. The waiting lists for some daycare centres are pretty big. It is clear that the demand exceeds the supply. Considering these factors, it is pretty clear that a significant amount of waste from daycare facilities end up in our landfills every day. Luckily, Early Childhood Educators are turning to environmentally friendly practices in their classroom.
When it comes to starting or complementing a recycling program in your daycare, purchasing a stackable recycling container is a great place to start. When developing an indoor recycling station, you should look for a recycling bin that is small, stackable, lightweight and colourful to ensure a clear and effective sort. Having a set up for plastic, glass, paper and mixed recyclables is recommended if you seek to divert the most waste. Select a recycling container that has a handle to allow for ease of use when carrying the container to empty into the bigger bins outside or your designated waste and recycling area inside.
The Multi-Recycler for example, is a great little recycling container that is offered in a variety of colors such as blue, red, yellow and green which compliments any daycare environment and is appealing to its younger audience. Children from toddlers to school age will enjoy participating in their daycare recycling efforts. As this age group is prime for absorbing the world around them and pick up on new concepts quickly, getting the entire room to participate in your recycling program will take very little time at all.
If you are looking for something a little more challenging but rewarding at the same time that complements your recycling program efforts, the Vermi-Composter is another fun way to “green” your classroom. The Vermi-Composter will help to decrease the amount of food waste in your daycare environment. Children are fascinated with worms and dirt. After all, what child isn’t? Having a Vermi-Composter and a stackable recycling center such as the Multi Recycler system set up in your child care setting will create an effective and affordable solution to ensure everyone does their part to help save the planet.
by Chris McBrien
