Teaching Kids About Recycling with the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS)
Share
Recycling is an essential habit for a greener future, and Ireland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) provides the perfect opportunity to teach kids responsibility, sustainability, and even financial literacy in a fun and engaging way.
By involving children in the bottle and can return process, they learn the value of recycling, develop eco-friendly habits, and even earn a little pocket money along the way! Here’s how you can make the DRS an exciting learning experience for kids.
1️⃣ Turn Recycling into a Fun Challenge
Kids love games, so why not make bottle and can collection a challenge?
✅ Set up a family competition—who can collect the most bottles each week?
✅ Use a sticker chart or reward system for every return trip.
✅ Encourage kids to “rescue” bottles from being thrown away at home, in the car, or even on walks.
💡 Tip: Give your child their own small return bin in their room or play area to encourage them to participate.
2️⃣ Teach Financial Responsibility with DRS Refunds
A great way to teach kids the value of money is to let them keep and manage their DRS refunds.
✔ Give them a piggy bank or savings jar for their earnings.
✔ Help them set a savings goal—a toy, a book, or a fun day out!
✔ Introduce budgeting skills—let them decide how much to save and how much to spend.
🚀 Bonus Idea: Let kids use their refunds for birthday gifts or holiday treats, showing them how small efforts can add up over time!
3️⃣ Make Bottle Returns a Learning Experience
DRS is more than just returning bottles—it’s an opportunity to teach kids about recycling, sustainability, and environmental responsibility.
🔹 Explain how recycling works—where do bottles go after they’re returned?
🔹 Talk about pollution and waste—why is recycling important for the planet?
🔹 Show them real-world impact—how much plastic waste is saved when bottles are properly recycled?
🌱 Simple Lesson: Every bottle returned helps protect wildlife, keeps beaches clean, and reduces landfill waste!
4️⃣ Make the Return Process Easy for Kids
To keep children engaged, make sure returning bottles and cans is a simple and enjoyable task.
✔ Use a kid-friendly return bin that’s easy to access.
✔ Encourage them to help carry and return bottles at the store.
✔ Celebrate their effort—even a small collection is a big win!
Having a lightweight, easy-to-use bin makes it even simpler for kids to get involved without any mess or hassle.
5️⃣ Create an Eco-Friendly Family Tradition
By making recycling part of your family’s daily routine, kids grow up with sustainable habits that last a lifetime.
🌍 Set up a “Recycling Day” each week—a dedicated time for returning bottles.
💚 Share the impact—talk about how many bottles your family has saved from waste.
♻️ Get involved in community clean-ups—make it a family activity to collect and return bottles found in parks or on the beach.
Final Thoughts: Small Actions, Big Lessons
Teaching kids about the Deposit Return Scheme is more than just recycling—it’s about building lifelong habits that benefit both the environment and their financial awareness.
By making bottle returns fun, rewarding, and educational, kids learn that even small actions can make a big difference.
🔹 Want to make bottle collection even easier for kids? Our ReTurn Station™ keeps recyclables tidy, organized, and easy to carry, so little hands can help without the mess!
♻️ Start now, and raise the next generation of eco-friendly savers! 🌍💰
