Recycling Teaching Resources

Encourage students to reduce, reuse and recycle with recycling signs for the classroom, recycling projects for kids and more environmentally-friendly teaching resources created by teachers for teachers!

This teaching resource collection has been carefully reviewed by the teachers of the Teach Starter team to ensure each resource is ready for use in your elementary classroom to encourage students to think green and be kind to our Earth.

Looking for ways be more green in the classroom? Read on for some tips from our teacher team! 

Green Tips for Teachers

Recycling might not be an explicit part of your state standards, but everything from signs you hang about the garbage cans to the habits you role model in your classroom can help students learn to be more green in school and out.

Here are a few green tips to make your classroom more sustainable this school year and encourage your students to keep it going long after they've moved on to the next grade!

1. Create a green classroom space — Bring potted plants into your classroom to improve air quality and create a more natural learning environment, and make taking care of the plants a rotating classroom helper job to instill the sense of responsibility in your students.
2. Turn off the classroom lights as often as you can — According to estimates, heating, cooling, and lighting come together to account for 70 percent of the energy used in schools every day. Role model energy-saving behaviors by flipping the light switch whenever possible.
3. Be explicit in your recycling instruction — Don't just hang a recycling sign or set up recycle symbols on your classroom bins. Make it part of your classroom procedures, and practice splitting waste from recyclable materials.
4. Use eco-friendly school supplies — When you can, opt for pencils, notebooks, and other classroom supplies that were made from sustainable materials or are recyclable. You can also talk to the custodians about the types of cleaning supplies that are being used in your classroom (as well as bringing your own for those in-between cleanings).
5. Go digital — Where possible, use Google Slides (like the ones from Teach Starter!) and other digital teaching resources to cut down on the amount of paper use and printing you're doing.