As early years professionals, we know that small actions can have a big impact, especially when it comes to shaping children’s habits for life. That’s why Recycle Week 2025, taking place from 22nd to 28th September, is the perfect opportunity to build eco-conscious learning into your setting’s everyday routine.
Led by WRAP’s Recycle Now campaign, Recycle Week is all about encouraging households to “recycle more of the right things, more often.” Despite nearly 90% of UK households claiming they recycle regularly, almost 8 in 10 still put recyclable items into general waste bins. That’s where early years settings can play a powerful role - not just in teaching children about recycling, but in guiding parents and carers too.
In 2024, Recycle Week focused on rescuing commonly overlooked items like yoghurt pots, aerosol cans, spray bottles, toilet roll tubes, and deodorant bottles - helping reduce “missed capture” rates from 70% to 64%. The theme this year continues with “Rescue Me – Recycle” - a child-friendly campaign that’s fun, practical, and packed with resources that your setting can use for free.
Linking Recycling to Early Years Learning
Recycling isn’t just good for the planet - it also connects beautifully with the EYFS framework:
Personal, Social and Emotional Development: Children learn responsibility and empathy for the world around them.
Understanding the World: Exploring what happens to rubbish helps children make sense of their environment.
Communication and Language: Conversations about where waste goes and how we sort materials help develop vocabulary and confidence.
When children see recycling in action at nursery or pre-school, they’re more likely to repeat these habits at home - and influence their grown-ups along the way.
5 Fun and Meaningful Recycle Week Activities for Little Learners
Here are some engaging, age-appropriate ways to bring recycling to life in your setting:
- Rescue Crew Role Play
Introduce children to WRAP’s friendly characters - like Yogi the yoghurt pot and Dee Dee the deodorant. Create a game where they “rescue” these items from a pretend rubbish bin and sort them into the right recycling containers. Add storytelling elements by asking, “What does Yogi dream of becoming next?”
- Recycling Station Sorting Table
Set up real bins in your room, labelled with visuals and colours. Provide clean items (with adult help) for sorting. Talk about the importance of rinsing and what happens if we don’t recycle properly. It’s a great way to practice fine motor skills and responsibility.
- Junk Art with a Twist
Collect clean lids, pots, and cardboard to use in creative art projects. Explain how making something new from something old helps the planet. Children love using their imagination - and you’ll reduce waste at the same time.
- The Great Recycling Hunt
Inspired by WRAP’s “Big Recycling Hunt,” hide clean sample items around the room or outside area. Children hunt for them, then decide which bin each item belongs in. Turn it into a competition and celebrate their efforts!
- Songs, Stories and Puppets
Make up a recycling song or jingle using the five key items. Use puppet versions of the “rescue” characters and act out what happens when they’re recycled versus thrown away. This supports emotional development and memory retention.
Practical Tips for Educators: Embedding Recycling into Everyday Practice Not Just During Recycle Week!
Bringing recycling into your early years setting doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are some easy wins to get you started:
Use Free Resources from WRAP
Download the “Rescue Me – Recycle” toolkit. It includes posters, stickers, and social media templates - perfect for making your displays and parent communication more engaging.
Make it Visual
Use pictures, icons, and bright colours to help children (and parents) know where things go. Label your bins clearly and reinforce the message with wall displays.
Be a Role Model
Let children see you recycling throughout the day. Narrate your actions: “I’m rinsing this yoghurt pot before it goes in the plastic bin.” Children mimic what they see.
Celebrate Recycling Success
Why not introduce a “Recycling Champion of the Week” award? Celebrate families who bring in tricky-to-recycle items or children who remember where things go.
Link with Local Recycling Schemes
Check with your local authority what can and can’t be recycled, and share this information with parents. WRAP’s Recycling Locator tool is a great place to start.
Helping Parents Confidently Recycle
Many parents want to recycle more - but they’re often unsure what goes where. Early years settings can make it easier by offering friendly, non-judgmental support:
Create Quick-Read Parent Guides
Send home a one-pager listing five commonly missed items to recycle - yoghurt pots, aerosols, deodorant bottles, toilet rolls, and spray bottles. Encourage rinsing and checking local rules.
Host a Recycling Drop-In
Set up a display table during drop-off or pick-up with your Rescue Crew characters, sample bins, and some surprising recyclable items. Let parents ask questions and join in!
Start a Family Challenge
Challenge families to “rescue one more item” each week. Provide a simple tracking chart for children to tick off and celebrate the effort in your next newsletter or wall display.
Share the Theme All Year Round
Recycling isn’t just for September! Reuse WRAP’s seasonal assets throughout the year - especially around Christmas, Easter, or summer holidays when waste increases.
Looking Ahead to Recycle Week 2025
Make the most of Recycle Week 2025 by planning a themed week in your setting:
Monday: Introduce the Rescue Crew with storytelling and sorting activities.
Wednesday: Invite parents to a recycling workshop or display.
Friday: Hold a junk-art exhibition to showcase the children’s recycled creations.
All Week: Run your “rescue mission” challenge where children help save one item a day from the wrong bin.
WRAP’s downloadable toolkit makes it easy to personalise posters, create certificates, and share updates on your social channels.
Why It Matters
Recycling supports so many of the values we hold dear in early years education:
- It builds knowledge and confidence.
- It supports creativity, communication, and independence.
- It brings families and educators together around a common goal.
- It encourages a sense of belonging and responsibility to the world around us.
Plus, it’s a clear demonstration to Ofsted of how your setting engages with sustainability, parent partnership, and purposeful play.
A Royal Seal of Approval
Even HRH Prince William has thrown his support behind tackling plastic waste in the UK. Calling plastic “the enemy,” he’s backed innovations like Notpla, a seaweed-based packaging company aiming to replace single-use plastics. He’s also championed recycling through the Earthshot Prize, which funds solutions for building a waste-free world - and he’s even worn a tie made from recycled plastic bottles at climate events! His efforts show just how important this mission is, not just for now, but for future generations.
What is the theme for recycle Week 2025?