Recycling with Kids

Thank you to REPREVE for sponsoring this post.

Last month, I introduced you to a company called REPREVE;  a company that takes recycled plastic bottles and turns them into fibers that then get made into clothes. How awesome is that?  Brands such as North Face, Polartec, and Patagonia use these fibers in their clothes.

Want to see how this works? It’s pretty cool.  Here’s a VIDEO showing the process.

Our family has always been the recycling type of family. Both my husband and I went to school for environmental science so it’s pretty much a no-brainer around here. The kids love to get involved with the process. They help rinse out containers and place them in the correct bin in  the garage. But their favorite part of the whole process is going to the recycling center and throwing the items into the big bins. They usually go with daddy on the weekend but this past week, I decided to surprise them and take them during the week.

Here they are loading up the car, my daughter in her REPREVEgreen beanie. Did you know that the beanie is made from 6 plastic bottles? And that eco-friendly beanie is TOASTY!

I love it that the kids love to help with the recycling.  They think it’s fun and I get help doing a household chore while teaching them valuable lessons about protecting the environment.

The key is making the process easy.  A few tips to help things go smoothly:

• Have separate bins for plastic, glass, cardboard and aluminum.
• Keep the bins close to the kitchen. Ours are in the garage which is right off the kitchen
• Make weekly trips to the recycling center (or contact your city to see if they pick up recycling with the trash)
• Make it a fun process for kids. Talk to them about what happens to items that are recycled and why it is important to recycle.

 Did you know that you can win$5,000 just by being “green”? 

#TurnItGreen Contest
Dates: Jan. 1-31
Grand Prize: $5,000 cash

Just take a photo or video of how you live a more sustainable lifestyle by recycling or reusing and share it on Twitter, Instagram or Vine with the  #TurnItGreen hashtag. Once you share the image or video with the hashtag, you will be entered into a sweepstakes where five entries will be randomly selected as the Top Five. Those five will be voted on by visitors to Repreve[dot]com where the image or video with the most votes will win a $5,000 cash prize. The other four video entries will receive a REPREVE Jacket and a Go-Pro camera (retail valued at over $350).

How do you live a greener lifestyle? Leave a comment below letting me know how you #TurnItGreen

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