Recycle and Reuse Project

Natural resources are materials found in nature that people use to live — such as water, wood, coal, oil, soil, and minerals. Some resources are renewable, meaning they can be replaced naturally. Others are nonrenewable, meaning they take millions of years to form and can run out.

Renewable vs Nonrenewable Resources

• Renewable: solar energy, wind energy, water (hydro), wood (from replanted forests).
• Nonrenewable: coal, oil, natural gas, minerals mined from the earth.

The 3 Rs — Best to Last Resort

1. Reduce — use less of a resource in the first place (best option).
2. Reuse — use an item again, as it is or for a new purpose, without breaking it down (e.g. refill a water bottle).
3. Recycle — break down materials to make new products (last resort, still uses energy).

Project Ideas

• Turn an old bottle into a plant pot (a grown-up cuts the bottle).
• Make a pencil holder from a clean soup can (ask a grown-up to check it has no sharp edges).
• Create art from used newspapers or magazines.
• Build a toy car from cardboard boxes and bottle caps.