Ideas for School Recycling Projects

Natural resources of earth are scarce which make it necessary to reuse and recycle them. Nowadays, we read a lot about saving petrol, conserving the green cover, etc. It is therefore, necessary to take some concrete steps to preserve natural resources.

The activity of recycling materials like plastic, paper, glass, etc. should slow down the rate of consumption of resources. School children must be taught how important it is to recycle these materials.

There are many projects that children can take up in order to understand the importance of recycling. Here are a few examples that can be used for elementary and high school recycling projects.

Nowadays, we have greeting cards for almost every occasion. These cards are reduced to mere pieces of paper after that special event or day is over. However, you can think of putting them to good use by making craft items.

These designs can be cut with scissors and used for decoration work. You can decorate many household items with these shapes.

The cans and bottles can be converted into utility items. You just need to decorate them a bit to enhance their appearance. Water-based paints, colored papers and other such materials are ideal for decoration. Glue the colored paper to the outer surface of these plastic cans. You can also consider the option of choosing white paper and coloring it.

Making animals jars is a fun activity for kids. In this recycling project, lids of glass jars are decorated to make them appear like animal faces. Elephant, tiger and lion faces are preferred by kids.

The entire outer surface of the lid should be covered with a colored paper. For example, gray colored paper should be chosen to make the shape of elephant. Choose other appropriate colors to create faces of other animals.

There are many different projects that one can make with plastic paper bags. Here are few paper and plastic recycling crafts for kids.

The pillow case should be stuffed with plastic bags. You may fill as many bags as possible in the pillow case. It makes the dog bed fluffy. Needle and thread are required to sew the opening of pillow case. Try to sew this stuffed bag as neatly as possible.

Waste generated in the form of Styrofoam cups and glasses can be recycled to produce flower shapes. To create a flower shape out of Styrofoam cups, their edges (lips) need to be shaped with scissors in a scalloped pattern.

The next step is to cut straight lines from lips to the base of cups. Cutting the cup in this pattern creates petals of the flower. Base of the cup should be painted to resemble the receptacle (middle part of flower).

CDs can be used to make decorative items like candle stands, window hangings, etc. The candle stands made from CDs really look good. Light reflected from the surface of CDs enhances their appearance even more. A wall hanging can be made by running a string through holes of CDs.

The ideas for school recycling projects mentioned should motivate children to work towards environmental conservation. Teachers can also ask students to use their own creative ideas for recycling projects. Finally, children should enjoy these activities and also learn something from them.