Do your teens recycle?

[cordeliaflynne]

Or do they find it a bit of an effort?

Over many years I have taken on board the message that we all should be recycling to preserve the planet for future generations and now it seems like the future generation doesn't really care and can't be arsed to do the same themselves. Is it just the ones I know?

(Currently general life facilitator to two 17 year olds and a 15 year old. No difference in being arsed between the girls or boys)

My DCs are incredibly “into” recycling, unnecessary waste etc. They can be hopelessly lazy and majorly untidy BUT when they do tidy they put all their rubbish in the “right” places and will choose the most environmentally friendly option when shopping (eg glass bottles rather than plastic) etc.

A bit before Christmas we went to a coffee shop while shopping and were told our drinks would all be in takeaway cups as the dishwasher was broken so DS (15) insisted that we left it and went somewhere using “proper” cups..... which we did....

Yes. More than me if I'm honest.

Really? Most teens I know are crazy into the environment and recycling/ sustainable options and vegan/vegetarianism.
Have your kids watched any docs on environmental change and plastic etc? Might help

Mine do it. It is second nature to them - to put recyclables in the wrong bin would be like putting plates in the washing machine.

Sorry but how hard is it? They still live in your home and I assume you have separate kitchen bins to correspond to the different bins from the council. So they just put their rubbish in the correct bin.

I was brought up doing that so it’s a non issue; it’s just normal behaviour I don’t even need to think about.

Things like ordering coconut husk scorers rather than buy those sponge and plastic ones, or buying only loose fruit and veg, finding a milk delivery service with glass bottles in my area... that takes a bit more effort. But putting stuff in a recycling bin? That’s a parenting fail if you havn’t simply set up 3 bins besiege each other and told the kids to use them from a young age.

*scourers

Of course. It’s just second nature to them as they have been brought up doing it. They are n more likely put a tomato sauce in the bin than down the toilet. It would just be equally as weird to them.

I'm late 20s and an entirely functional adult who recycles at home. When I visit DM I am not trusted to understand her Byzantine recycling system and am instructed to put almost everything in the kitchen sink for sorting.

Is it made relatively simple at your home?

My kids don't, it's a constant battle, I really don't know how to get through to them. I'm always pulling stuff out of the regular bin

If by recycle you mean stack all recyclable rubbish in a precarious heap on top of the washing machine until I take it out then yes they do.

My DS does it when I'm around but I'm not convinced he bothers when he's at Uni - inspite of being brought up to do it! Sadly he is of the attitude that "one bottle isn't going to make a difference"!

Avocado I find it incredibly difficult when staying at other peoples' houses. My MIL's recycling system is totally different ours - but that is down to the Local Authorities, not us or her!

@bigbluebus

Does he not realise that if everyone had his attitude it would be 60 million 'one bottles'?

I really think it is part of your duty as a parent to ensure your kids understand waste. There's extreme ways of living waste and plastic free, and I confess I'm close to that but I would expect everyone to be that way... But recycling? And choosing to buy things without plastic when it is an option? That's not hard to teach. Bring them up with respect for the only planet they have and they will continue it when they leave home.

@ChrisjenAvasarala
I wondered how long it would be before someone attacked me for that. If you read my post you will see that he was brought up to recycle. He will have been taught about it at school too. There is an expression which goes "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink".

I have seen a couple of threads on here in the last few days where people have been criticised for travelling by plane - the response has been "but the plane is going anyway whether I'm on it or not". There is still a long way to go!

Yes very much into it. They help their grandparents sort theirs out too.

sort of... they aren't bad on recycling but not good either. They ask but get things wrong.

Eg., put dirty pizza boxes in (sigh)
DS learnt in army to leave the tap running while brushing teeth

Yes, but I am often disappointed with buying flavoured water/water at school in plastic bottles. Break plus lunch 1000 kids, I reckon they must sell at least 4000 a week.

Wow, some enthusiastic recyclers around then.

I am happy to take on board that it must be a parenting fail :-).

I always recycle, have done for years. I almost never buy drinks in bottles and would rather sit down with a china cup in a cafe than take my coffee away in a disposable cup. I got my ecover bottles refilled and took my bottles back to the Body Shop before we had curb side plastic bottle recycling and continued to have milk delivered in glass bottles for as long as the local dairy offerered it. I can dredge up many examples of my holier than though recycling efforts over the years....still hasn't rubbed off though. When asked to put a bottle in the (easily accessible) recycling bin at home I am regularly asked which colour bin that is, despite the current system having been in place for most of their lives.

If you're making them go outside to the big recycling bins then maybe that's why?
Or have you colour coordinated your indoor kitchen bins to match the big ones?

My kids are only 5 and 7, so I have 3 indoor kitchen bins labelled "paper", "plastic and glass" and "normal" along with a sealed tub labelled "compost". They manage to read them and bin things correctly with the occasional question to check. If a 5 year old can do it then so can teenagers.