The month of June is filled with significant environmental days – World Environment Day, Clean Air Day and Canada Environment Week remind us that the onus of preserving our planet is on us.
Simple changes in consumption and our behaviour can make a significant impact. Teaching children the importance of recycling is the start of forming lifelong habits that will help change things for the better.
Here are some ways you can make a difference today:
Practice the waste hierarchy’s three Rs:
- Reduce – try to avoid or limit the amount of waste you’re creating. Write a grocery list and stick to the plan, this will help you save money, eat healthier and avoid buying food that goes to waste.
- Reuse – buy products that can be used more than once. Bought soup in a glass jar? Repurpose that jar for storage. Are your kids done with an old toy? Teach them the value of charity and donate that toy.
- Recycle – the proper method of recycling will give an old product new life! Did you know that there is a safe and proper way to recycle batteries? Batteries don’t belong in the garbage or your traditional recycling bin, instead visit call2recycle.ca and find out how you can recycle batteries. Guess what recycled batteries are turned into – bikes and golf clubs – hello summer!
Get creative and involve your kids!
Batteries should be recycled and never tossed in the garbage or regular recycling bin. By recycling batteries properly, you can help to preserve the environment and keep them out of landfills, reduce the risk of fire and contribute to the circular economy.
Kids love competition, encourage them to ask friends and family for their old batteries and reward them when they’ve collected a box full of batteries. Recycling batteries is easy:
- Collect – Start by finding dead batteries in your house, bet you have more than you thought you did!
- Safely Store – tape the ends of dead batteries and store them in non-metal containers. Get your kids to make a fun box by decorating the outside of it, using the following:
- stickers
- glitter
- stencil
- paint
- Drop off – reduce your carbon footprint and find the closest location to take your battery box – www.call2recycle.ca/locator
Thank you for making a difference and protecting our planet!
