This post is brought to you by Cleansui
Recycling. It is a word we all know, some a little more. It is one of those words which we use repeatedly but sometimes question how we use it. Ever since I can remember I have recycled household items, bottles and rubbish in some shape or form. Whether it be by putting it in the recycling bin or taking it to school for art and craft projects, or arts and crafts at home, recycling has been a part of my life.
Naturally I have transfered this little obsession onto my children. I kind of feel if i can do at least one small thing each day to help the environment, then why not? And because arts and crafts is the best thing in our house for my three year year, well…. you can do anything with a little cardboard from the cereal box, or the toilet roll holder, or the big long roll from the glad wrap. Anything.
But there is something else when it comes to water and plastic bottles. For me, buying water is a wasted expensive when I could have and should have filled up the bottle at home. Wasted. Recycling these days comes in a good quality water bottle.
Talking about bottles, did you know:
* Australians spend more than half a billion dollars a year on bottled water. Australia produced 582.9 million litres of bottled water in 2009-10.
* Producing and delivering a litre of bottled water can emit hundreds of times more greenhouse gases than a litre of tap water.
* Australia recycles only 36% of PET plastic drink bottles. Assuming the 582.9 million litres of bottled water produced in 2009-10 is in litre bottles, according to these figures, 373 million of those bottles will end up as waste.
That is a lot of wastage and money! Especially when we have such simple water solutions like Cleansui to use at home!!
So what can you be doing at home? How can you minimise the use of plastic water bottles?
1. Let them choose their bottle. We all know that if kids don’t like something, no matter how much we push and probe, they won’t change their mind. Let them take ownership of their drink bottle that they can fill and re-fill with the freshest water around.
2. Don’t have just one bottle, have many. From being in the dishwasher, to being left at school, or at the park, or at a friends…. get my drift. Have many.
3. Collect plastic drink bottles – and turn it into an environmental crafting message. This is one way to take the use of plastic water bottle recycling to a new level….
4. Reduce the waste and keep bottles in the fridge for that ‘on-the-go’ situation. If you have a below the bench water purifier, it makes it super easy to simply fill these bottles.
No matter how big or small, it is little steps that make the world of difference to the environment. It is a message that starts early, a behaviour and value that if instilled early, is carried on for years. Kids love making a difference and feel a sense of accomplishment and pride when they know they have made a difference.
So come on, tell me, share with me, how do you and your family make a difference to the water bottle consumption reduction? And recycling in general?
Cleansui is offering The Parenting Files readers a 30% discount off all products. Pop on over to the website to get the code.
Linking up with Essentially Jess
{image by SteadySticks}
