Five Easy Steps to Start Recycling

I have always wanted to recycle but never really looked into it because I thought it was "hard." Well let me just tell ya that there isn't anything hard about recycling other than just remembering to save your items as you use them. If you have young children, I highly recommend having some sort of recycling system (no matter how small and simple) as it can teach them a great deal of things.

Below are some easy steps to help you get into recycling:

1. Check your area for a place that can pick your recycling up or a place to drop it off.

Most counties, parishes, cities, etc... have a place designated for recycled items. Some lucky people even have someone who comes around and picks it up. We drop ours off right down the road 1-2 times a week and it gives us something to do to break our day up a bit.

2. Start off easy.

You don't have to recycle every darn thing you can (although that would be awesome). Do I like I did and start off small. Shoot for paper, cardboard and plastic items. Heck, even if you just recycle all of the boxes that UPS and FedEx brings to your house then you're doing pretty good! I can recycle a whole forest of trees with all the boxes we always get (hello Amazon Prime).

3. Have an easy system.

I didn't do anything fancy other than buy a large trash can and draw a pretty picture on it with a permanent marker. There are all sorts of recycling contraptions around, but if you want to be frugal and easy about it, then just reuse a garbage can, bucket, basket, etc...

4. Involve the kids.

This is something fun for them to do. It becomes a game to see who can recycle the most, who can remember to recycle and who can spot the recyclables in the trash can (and be the one to fish them out...ew). It also teaches them a great deal about products, the environment and so on.

5. Don't get crazy with it.

If you forget to recycle an item, then don't beat yourself up about it. It's not the end of the world, I promise. You're just doing the best you can to help out this little ole' planet. I promise you, Mother Nature thanks you for any recycling that you do no matter how big or little it is.

What is your recycling system like?