“Why are those bins blue, Mummy?”
This was the innocent question that sparked the idea for a series of eco-adventures to teach our kids about recycling right in Singapore. Along the way, we also made a new “friend”, Bloobin, and chatted with him through the Bloobin AI Chatbot.
The Value of Recycling
Blue recycling bins are a common sight in the neighbourhood. Although they are Intended only for recyclable items, people unfortunately sometimes place general waste in them.
3 Recycling Adventures: Fun Ideas For Kids & Families
1:1 & Small Group English Lessons: How to Get Personalised, English Help
While recycling may be a big word for kids, it is important to teach them the value of doing so from an early age.
That’s why we embarked on a series of fun, low-prep activities with our kids to introduce them to recycling the right way.
Activity 1: Sorting Challenge with Bloobin AI Chatbot
With the rainy season over and the sun finally out, it was time to take the kids out to the park for some fresh air and fun!
After running around outdoors, the kids are always hungry. Knowing this, we prepared a picnic with snacks and drinks for everyone to enjoy together. This included a pack of their favourite biscuits, fruits and packet drinks.
This time, we also brought along two separate bags – one for recyclables and the other for trash – for a sorting challenge.
We explained to the kids that some items like paper, plastic, glass and metal can be recycled. Recycling allows these items to be turned into something useful once again. Their challenge was to separate the recyclables from the trash so that the recyclables could be sent to the recycling bin.
My elder one asked what happens if dirty items end up in a recycling bin. We explained that the dirty items can contaminate the other items in the bin. As a result, 40% of items in recycling bins are unrecyclable because of contamination by food and drink remnants, tissue and other trash.
This carelessness and cross-contamination results in otherwise good items no longer being recyclable, wasting everyone else’s efforts. As such, it is important that recycled items must be clean; dirty items like food-stained containers should never be placed in the recycling bin.
Items that cannot be recycled are sent to waste-to-energy plants where they are incinerated and turned into ash. The ash is then sent to Singapore’s only landfill, the Semakau Landfill.
However, the landfill is quickly filling up. At the current rate of waste disposal, it will be full by 2035. In other words, by the time the kids are in their teens, there would be no more space in the landfill! Therefore, recycling correctly can also help to reduce the amount of ash being sent to the landfill.
With this in mind, we got the kids to do a sorting challenge, separating the trash from the picnic into recyclables and non-recyclables.
For the challenge, we introduced our kids to the Bloobin AI Chatbot and they were tickled by the idea of talking to the blue recycling bin.
First, we showed them how they could ask Bloobin some questions about recycling by text using the Bloobin AI Chatbot. Next, we demonstrated how easy it was to take a picture of an item and send it to Bloobin to find out whether it could be recycled or not.
The kids then started excitedly taking pictures of various items and sending them to the Bloobin AI Chatbot which is accessible via WhatsApp and Telegram. In an instant, the chatbot responded with info on what can be recycled, along with tips on how to recycle right!
The children learnt that paper towels and dirty paper plates are considered waste and should be discarded. They also learnt that clean plastics such as plastic bags and packaging can be recycled.
They were extra careful to separate the cardboard snack box from its inner plastic wrapping holding the biscuits. They placed the cardboard box into the recyclable trash bag while the inner plastic wrapping, dirtied with crumbs, went into the trash bag.
This sorting challenge was a fun introduction to recycling for the kids! They especially enjoyed interacting with the Bloobin AI Chatbot!
Activity 2: Decluttering at Home
As any parent would know, books, toys, stationery and clothes can quickly pile up over time. The best way to manage this is with regular spring cleaning and we set aside a Saturday to do so with the kids.
To effectively declutter, we taught the children to ask three questions to determine if an item should be kept or discarded:
- Has the item been used in the past year?
- Does the item have any significant meaning?
- Can anyone else in the family use the item?
If the answer to all three questions was “no”, then it was time to get rid of the item!
Remembering our earlier lesson on recycling, the children suggested sorting through the unwanted items to find out what could be recycled.
For a start, we looked through some clothes and toys that were still in good condition!
Unsure whether old books, clothes and soft toys could be recycled, we turned to the Bloobin AI Chatbot again.
That is where we learnt that books can be recycled in the blue recycling bins or donated instead.
On the other hand, textiles such as clothes and soft toys should not be placed in the blue recycling bins. Rather, they can be dropped off at the Cloop textile recycling bins located around the neighbourhoods if they are clean and usable.
Old electronics such as batteries, light bulbs, printers, laptops and tablets can also be disposed of at E-Waste recycling bins.
After spending the day sorting through the items at home, we deposited recyclable items in our neighbourhood blue recycling bin and dropped off the rest at the Textile and E-Waste recycling bins.
Activity 3: Litter Hunt at the Beach
Beach clean-ups are an activity that many of us will remember from our school days. We decided that it would be a meaningful activity to do as a family to reinforce the message of caring for the environment too!
So, armed with gloves, trash bags and tongs, we were off to the beach. Trash gets washed ashore often and beaches require constant effort to be kept clean.
As we combed the beach, we encountered trash like ropes and cigarette butts. We also came across a dry and empty single-use plastic water bottle. Unsure whether the plastic water bottle could be recycled, the kids took a picture and sent it to the Bloobin AI Chatbot.
The Bloobin AI Chatbot came back to tell us that clean plastic bottles can be recycled and the kids promptly deposited it into a recycling bin close by.
After an hour of litter-picking, we left the beach feeling fulfilled and glad to have been able to contribute in a small way to caring for the environment. Our children even asked when they could repeat the litter hunt!
Bringing Home the Message at the Recycling Truck Playground
To round up our eco-adventures, we visited a one-of-a-kind playground in Bukit Batok to bring home the message with some fun.
The Recycling Truck playground, located at Blk 334 Bukit Batok St 32, is where families can enjoy playtime with the theme of “Reuse, Reduce and Recycle”.
Apart from going down the slide and pretending to drive the truck, we also learnt how recycled materials can be used to construct fun playgrounds. Recycled plastics and used car tyres were all given a second life as part of the Recycling Truck playground.
This underscored how simple actions like sorting trash and recycling can drive the gears of change.
It is Easy to Recycle Right
We agreed to play a part in saving our planet by making recycling a regular part of our family activities and consult the Bloobin AI Chatbot whenever in doubt.
The Bloobin AI Chatbot makes it easy for everyone in the family to learn about recycling right in Singapore. Get chatting with the Bloobin AI Chatbot on WhatsApp and Telegram.
This feature is brought to you by National Environment Agency.
