Teaching children the importance of recycling and caring for their environment -

In an ideal society, recycling should be as natural to your children as brushing their teeth, packing away their toys and putting on their seatbelts when climbing into a car. Not because they are radical environmentalists or the offspring of crazy tree huggers, but rather simply because its all they know!From a tender age, we teach our children to say please and thank you, we tell them not to talk to strangers, not to litter and so many other small yet essential life skills that we dont even consciously think about. Why should lessons in environmental protection and recycling be any different?

Knowledge is empowering so begin by educating your children regarding the potentially negative impact that glass has on our environment and how they can help make a difference

by reusing and recycling it.Due to the fact that it is not bio-degradable, glass can cause:

- Unsightly litter
- Injury to human and animal life
- Pollution of natural water sources
- Fires broken glass is a key factor in the starting of runaway veld fires which can have a devastating impact on the environment
- Due to the fact that glass does not decompose, it ends up in landfills which are notonly unsightly, but have a negative effect on our soil, vegetation and underground water systems and are breeding grounds for disease carrying vermin

Recycling is easy, and tips from The Glass Recycling Company to be followed include-:
- Recycle all glass containers not just beverage bottles. Containers, which hold food, medicine, and household items and are made of glass are all recyclable
- Reuse old containers they are great for storing paint, crayons, buttons and arts and crafts tools such as paint brushes, rulers and much more
- Explain to your children what is recyclable and what is not.For example, light bulbs and cookware such as pyrex are NOT recyclable. They
have different properties that can contaminate a recyclable load of glass
- Plan your trips to the bottle banks to fit into your daily schedule it will become part of your plan rather than a chore! Take your children along with you and show them how and where to put their bottles.
- In South Africa, it is not necessary to wash glass before placing it into Glass Banks in addition to this, we dont need to separate different
coloured glass into separate banks.All in all recycling is very easy
- Encourage your childs school to participate or start a recycling programme of their own

There is no doubt that children are influenced by their peers. By making recycling a way of life and making it as habitual as the other lessons we teach them, before we know it, we will have a generation of recyclers that work together to build a sustainable environment. In this way, the balance in society will shift from a generation of non-recyclers to a generation of recyclers that respect our planet. To find more about a glass bank in your area, visit the Glass Recycling Company Web site http: //www.theglassrecyclingcompany.co.za

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