Kids' Ideas to Stop Littering

Every person can help make the world a better place, including young children. When you teach your children to dispose of their garbage and other trash, you raise them to be mindful of the earth, and these habits will last through adulthood. Your children will teach their own children, and Mother Earth will thank you for it.

  1. Leave No Trace

    • A practice largely followed by the Boy Scouts of America, the Leave No Trace plan can teach children to be considerate of other people and the physical world. Take your children to the park, to a pond or on a hike. Bring snacks or a picnic lunch and garbage bags. Point out the cleanliness of the destination when you arrive. Is it as pristine as it should be? Is there already a mess? Eat your lunch, then show them the resulting garbage. Explain that when you clean up after yourself, you leave the world a cleaner, more beautiful place. Clean up your litter and any garbage left by others.

    Hazards of Litter

    • Teach children about the potential hazards of litter: You could step on broken glass or plastic, cut your foot and get an infection from bacteria in the trash. Litter attracts rodents and insects. Loose garbage can get into waterways and harm fish, or birds might eat it and choke. Tour a landfill and see how trash is processed so it doesn't harm the environment, or visit a recycling center and show children how recycling reduces the amount of trash in landfills. Resolve to take care of your own garbage and to recycle.

    Set an Example

    • Always clean up your own litter and dispose of it properly, and your children will, too. Place garbage cans or litter bags in helpful places such as in the back yard, in the car and around the house. Take spare trash bags with you or keep a few in the car. Pick up others' litter when you're out with your children. Every effort you make will set an example for your children.

    Rewards

    • A reward will motivate younger children to clean up trash. When you visit the park or go camping, offer a prize, such as a sticker or a small treat, for every 10 pieces of litter your child picks up. At home, offer children a prize at the end of the week if the back yard and their bedrooms are litter-free. Helping your children keep their room and play area free of litter will encourage him to do so in other places as well.

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