This post is sponsored by SENS eRecycling, with a friendly reminder to responsibly recycle your electronic items, including old toys.
Our love of the outdoors definitely keeps us thinking about how we can help protect and preserve this beautiful world that we enjoy with our family. Since modern kids use so many electronic gadgets and toys, it’s important for them to understand both why and how to recycle this eWaste, which contains lots of poisonous materials that need to be disposed of properly and precious metals that can be reused. Here are a few fun ways to do this, particularly in Switzerland.
1. Read children’s books about eRecycling
A picture book is a fun, easy way to introduce this topic and happily, there are lots of options. For general recycling topics, we like this book list from Recycle Nation of 10 Books about Recycling Your Kids Will Love. To learn specifically about eRecycling in Switzerland, you can order this free children’s comic from SENS eRecycling (German only).
2. Watch videos about the E-Waste recycling process
I find that kids are more interested in recycling when they understand the process better. What happens to that junk during the recycling process can be fascinating. From the outside, many electronic items just look like plastic and glass, but it’s the insides that count and kids love seeing things break apart. Here are a few videos that show the recycling process:
- This video follows the factory process of recycling metals from old computers.
- The eWaste Ben YouTube channel has lots “scrapping” videos where they break apart electronic items like iPads to see what’s inside and what can be recycled.
- This fun video shows a toy designer reusing parts from computers, televisions, stereos, old toys and other electronic items to build robots.
- If your kids understand German, the delightful Sendung mit der Maus has several videos that show the recycling process for all sorts of materials including Handys, fun to watch even if your German isn’t perfect.
3. Visit “Recycling City” at Umwelt Arena
This huge interactive museum has dozens of exhibits focused on taking care of our environment. Their “Recycling City” has lots of colorful, hands-on displays educating you on how waste and recycling is handled in Switzerland. SENS eRecycling recently set up a new exhibition about recycling solar cells with a cool marble run explaining the process. This is such a fun, active way to get kids interested in this important topic.
> Get more info about Umwelt Arena.
4. Love where you live – learn about eRecycling in Switzerland
Switzerland is a world leader in recycling, a fact that your kids should be proud of, whether you just moved here or your family has lived here for generations. But to stay a leader, we need to understand how eRecycling works in our countries and support the system. SENS eRecycling has some helpful videos dispelling some common eRecycling myths, like how much actually gets recycled (most of it!), where the unrecycable material goes (not Africa!), and how the country pays for it (there’s no fee to recycle, but that doesn’t mean it’s free). The videos are in English, animated and easy to understand even for young children.
5. Recycle together
Take the kids along with you next time you recycle your E-Waste. The first time I took the kids to the dump, they were surprised to see how many different kinds of “trash” bins there were. Where I lived in America, we just dumped everything into a big pile. But in Switzerland, there is a variety of color coded bins and the staff help you sort your waste and recyclable items accordingly. So efficient! My kids actually had fun figuring out what belonged in which bin and came away with a better understanding of how much of our “trash” is recyclable. See locations for Zürich trash and recycling handling (ERZ).
Plus it’s important to make eRecycling part of your kids regular routine. One reason many people don’t recycle E-Waste is because it takes an extra trip to the drop off point. But happily in Switzerland it’s easy and free of charge to recycle electronic items at any shop that sells electronics as well as at SENS collection points. To find your nearest collection point for E-Waste, check this handy map. So yes, it is an extra effort, but it’s small and it’s worth it. If kids start visiting eRecycling collection points early in their lives, they’ll grow up thinking it’s normal, not a luxury.
Please remember that eRecycling is “free” in Switzerland, but only because your recycling costs are covered by an Advanced Recycling Fee (ARF) which is included Swiss purchase price. If you purchase electronic items outside Switzerland, you do not pay the ARF, which means Switzerland has less funds to cover the recycling costs. However, you can make a voluntary ARF payment to help ensure fair and sustainable recycling for your electronic items in Switzerland. You can learn more about eRecycling in Switzerland and the voluntary ARF at SENS eRecycling.
