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The world generates 2.01 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste annually, with at least 33 percent of that—extremely conservatively—not managed in an environmentally safe manner. Worldwide, waste generated per person per day averages 0.74 kilograms but ranges widely, from 0.11 to 4.54 kilograms [1].
In Indonesia, only 9% of the waste was recycled, 31% was unmanaged, and 60% end up in landfill sites. When it comes to throwing away items that we no longer need, it is so important that we separate our waste in the right way. if we do not separate our waste, we are throwing everything directly into landfills.
In order to meaningfully combat the menace that is global pollution, we need to sensitize our kids to waste management techniques and systems. Happily, this key humanitarian lesson can be fun and informative. Good waste management habits don’t need to be very complicated to learn for our kids [3]. These are:
Providing garbage bins
One of the ways to value waste disposal is to have garbage bins at home. Providing garbage bins for disposal waste means that kids get to see the waste of household producing goes straight to the bins. This should be taught at a young age as soon as possible. We can achieve it in so many ways, such as setting rules about it or practicing it in daily life as an example for our kids.
Lesson:
When they have or see trash, it should go straight to the container. It teaches them to be clean, disciplined, and responsible for their trash and cleanliness around the house.
Practice segregation at home
The advanced practice of waste disposal is to have segregation habits. Not only throwing garbage but it must be separated wisely according to the criteria. The simplest waste segregation is wet and dry bins, but we can step it up by providing five different criteria (compostable, reuse, recycle, hazardous, and residue). Make sure to have color-coded garbage bins. Label the garbage bins with notes or add playful characters that are easy for children to understand for the differences in each type of waste container.
Lesson:
It teaches them the level-up way to practice eco-friendly waste disposal. Moreover, segregation also shows them that not all items go straight to the landfill dump.
Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash [4]
Purchase reusable items
Purchase reusable items can be beneficial and also lessens costs. This can include cups, cutlery, containers, eco-bags, and others. Reusing isn’t just about keeping the same containers and deciding that we’ve done something good for the environment; it’s about continually reducing your waste and cleaning materials so that these reusable items consistently mitigate your carbon footprint [5].
Lesson:
By reusing an item, it doesn’t end up in a landfill. Especially not items that are still not worn out and sturdy. The more we reuse an item in front of our kids, the more we unconsciously teach them the importance of the recyclability of many things at home.
DIY from recyclable materials
Recycling can be fun for kids. They can spend more time by bringing art and creativity. Do some projects or artwork using recycled materials, it can be recycled paper, cups, shoes, tires, plastic bottles, color materials, and so many others. By transforming these waste materials into new materials or products can add up more value to the artistic or environment.
Lesson:
Kids are naturally curious and creative, so gearing them towards craft is a great way of teaching them about waste management. Instead of just throwing out the daily waste, encourage our kids to get creative and upcycle waste materials.
Teach kids how to compost at home
Another way to improve eco-friendly waste disposal is by processing waste, one of which is organic waste. We can process organic waste by composting. There are so many ways to do composting. We can set up a compost pit at home or have another option to switch things up a bit by having a vermicompost pit.
Lesson:
We can teach them that many kinds of trash go to the bins, but there is also trash that can be processed naturally by nature. In addition, we can also teach children the use of composting products in the garden by planting.
Teaching through Games
Waste management for kids does not have to be boring. We can be creative to create fun games for our kids. There are so many sources where we can find ideas and insights about it. Environmental care immediately concerns us, so its importance can be felt through a number of fun games.
Lesson:
Through these games, our kids will learn to be sensitized towards the environment, while having fun!
Conclusion
The key to good disposal habits is to start at a young age. Kids can receive these eco-friendly ways of disposal waste by example and practice so that it becomes a permanent habit. Make this an initial and first lesson for them in the field of waste disposal. It doesn’t need to be confusing, hard, or expensive for teaching our kids!
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