Back to Activities CFN recycle

Recycling and reducing

Do you know the difference between recycling and reducing waste? Get ready to understand it and learn how to make its consumption more responsible and environmentally friendly.

Develop these Key Competencies

  • Systems thinking
  • Collaboration
  • Critical thinking

Materials Needed

  • 1 set of waste items or
  • 1 set of cards
  • A wall, surface or 4 recipients or boxes.
Activity Development

This activity works better with your team, and you will need a set of cards. 

  1. First, prepare the set of cards for the game. You can find the link here. 
  2. Prepare a surface with enough space to play with the set of cards. Place one category in each corner using the words: aluminium, compost, paper or plastic. As an alternative, you can also prepare 4 boxes indicating one word in each of them. 
  3. Invite your teammates to divide themselves into four groups.
  4. Give each group a set of game cards in a bag.
  5. Ask them to take turns drawing a game card from the bag and placing it onto the appropriate category on the mat. 
  6. While you go through the distribution, comment or discuss the different items or discoveries you have.
  7. When all the cards are sorted into the appropriate categories. Give points to the cards that are placed in the correct category. 

You can choose to give points to the groups at the end. 

Relevant information if you are facilitating

Does recycling leave a negative, neutral, or positive impact on nature? Recycling might seem optimistic, but it has a neutral environmental effect.

Then, what about reducing? Reusing is using the material you have already consumed again for another purpose. We need This right impact to create a better environment and preserve nature. If we begin by reducing the consumption of non-environmentally friendly substances, most companies will stop producing these materials. We should start with ourselves and set an excellent example for others. If not now, WHEN? If not us, WHO?  

So, how can we reduce our consumption?

  • There are small steps you can take, but they significantly impact the planet. Here are some ideas:
  • Bring your shopping bag ◦Stop buying bottled water; instead, have your bottle
  • Bring your thermos to the coffee shop
  • Choose cardboard over plastic bags ◦Say no to straws
  • Don’t buy disposable razors
  • Rethink your food storage

Time needed

15 minutes

Age range

  • 11 to 14

We are waiting for you!

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Time needed

15 minutes

Age range

  • 11 to 14