Make a family recycling center with these DIY recycling bins and free printable labels as part of this month's Family Dinner Book Club.
This post contains affiliate links. See my Disclosure Policy for details.
This is a staggering statistic when you consider that approximately 75% of the waste we generate is recyclable.
Choosing to recycle is a simple way for every family to make a difference for our environment. Recycling helps reduce waste and pollution while also helping to conserve our natural resources and energy.
This month, our Family Dinner Book Club is focused on recycling and I have an easy DIY project to help your family get started. And if you're already a recycling pro, I'll help you get organized and encourage the kids to help recycle too!
DIY Recycling Bins with FREE Printable Labels
Depending on where you live, you may have curbside recycling service. We're lucky to live in a place where our recycling is picked up every other week. If not, you likely have a recycling drop off center nearby (it's estimated that nearly 90% of Americans have access to either curbside or drop off recycling services).
You can find recycling services near you here.
Recycling programs vary in what items they can accept and how recyclables need to be sorted. There are some common items which are accepted for recycling, but you should double check with your town or center to be sure.
Once you know how to get your recycling to the right place and what is accepted, you'll need a solution for sorting your recyclables at home. That's exactly what these DIY recycling bins do! They'll help you organize your recycling and keep it stored until pick up day, while the free printable labels help the entire family know where everything goes!
To make your own DIY recycling bins, start with my free printable recycling labels. This label set has everything you need to set up your own home recycling center. Click the button below to download yours.
Once you've downloaded the labels, you can print them on full sheet label paper and cut out.
Then you'll need to set up your recycling center. Choose a location that is easy to access so that everyone remembers to use it. For our recycling center, I repurposed a plastic 3 drawer cart that we were no longer using. I simply cut out my labels and added one to each drawer for the main categories that we sort our recyclables into.
I also added a small storage bin on top which I labeled Reuse. This is for things like paper rolls, jars, or other things that we can repurpose for crafts or other projects.
Once our recycling center was set up, it was time to show my boys how easy it is to use. Even little kids can start learning the difference between what is trash and what can be recycled, and helping to sort the recycling is a great chore for kids.
I love our new family recycling center and making these DIY recycling bins takes just minutes. Now our recycling is organized and out of the way between pickups, and my boys are able to help with it too. It's a win for our family and for the environment!
To get the full Family Dinner Book Club experience, head over to Growing Book by Book for the full list of books about recycling, then to Sarah at Chef Sarah Elizabeth for a delicious themed menu.
Be sure to share your Family Dinner Book club photos with us on Facebook! We love to see them.
Want to do even more for the environment? See my favorite swaps to use less plastic!
You can find recycling services near you here.
Recycling programs vary in what items they can accept and how recyclables need to be sorted. There are some common items which are accepted for recycling, but you should double check with your town or center to be sure.
Once you know how to get your recycling to the right place and what is accepted, you'll need a solution for sorting your recyclables at home. That's exactly what these DIY recycling bins do! They'll help you organize your recycling and keep it stored until pick up day, while the free printable labels help the entire family know where everything goes!
To make your own DIY recycling bins, start with my free printable recycling labels. This label set has everything you need to set up your own home recycling center. Click the button below to download yours.
FREE
Once you've downloaded the labels, you can print them on full sheet label paper and cut out.
Then you'll need to set up your recycling center. Choose a location that is easy to access so that everyone remembers to use it. For our recycling center, I repurposed a plastic 3 drawer cart that we were no longer using. I simply cut out my labels and added one to each drawer for the main categories that we sort our recyclables into.
I also added a small storage bin on top which I labeled Reuse. This is for things like paper rolls, jars, or other things that we can repurpose for crafts or other projects.
Once our recycling center was set up, it was time to show my boys how easy it is to use. Even little kids can start learning the difference between what is trash and what can be recycled, and helping to sort the recycling is a great chore for kids.
I love our new family recycling center and making these DIY recycling bins takes just minutes. Now our recycling is organized and out of the way between pickups, and my boys are able to help with it too. It's a win for our family and for the environment!
More Recycling with Family Dinner Book Club
This month, our Family Dinner Book Club is focusing on making a difference by recycling. Our featured book is One Plastic Bag by Miranda Paul.
To get the full Family Dinner Book Club experience, head over to Growing Book by Book for the full list of books about recycling, then to Sarah at Chef Sarah Elizabeth for a delicious themed menu.
Be sure to share your Family Dinner Book club photos with us on Facebook! We love to see them.
Want to do even more for the environment? See my favorite swaps to use less plastic!