7 engaging ways to get your pupils thinking about recycling this Recycle Week
Recycle Week (14th-20th September) is a great opportunity to get children thinking about what happens to the things they throw away, where our materials come from and how small changes can make a difference.
But rather than simply telling pupils that recycling is important, why not get them investigating, questioning and thinking for themselves?
Below are seven engaging activities to get your class thinking about recycling this Recycle Week. Simply click the link you’re interested in to learn more.
- Recycle one extra item a day
- Recycling: fact or fiction?
- Becoming recycling sorting experts
- Meet Benny the Bottle in our reading comprehension
- Become recycling word detectives
- Design a recycling poster
- Take the recycling conversation home
1. Can your class recycle one extra item a day?
Challenge your pupils to find one extra item they could recycle each day.
It could be something from their lunchbox, classroom or home. Ask them to keep track of what they recycle throughout the week.
At the end of the week, talk about what they discovered.
Which items were easiest to recycle? Were there any they weren’t sure about? Did the challenge change what they noticed about the things they threw away?
Our Recycle Week pack includes a ready-to-use ‘Recycle an extra item a day’ tracker, so pupils can record their progress throughout the week.
2. Recycling: fact or fiction?
There are lots of things we think we know about recycling. But how many of them are actually true?
Give your pupils a series of recycling statements and challenge them to decide whether each one is a fact or a myth.
Then get them to explain their thinking.
It’s a simple way to introduce discussion and encourage children to look more closely at what happens to the materials we use every day.
Our free Recycle Week pack includes a recycling myths and truths activity, followed by a comprehension exercise.
3. Become recycling sorting experts
What are everyday objects actually made from?
Challenge pupils to sort and match different objects according to the materials they’re made from. Then take the activity one step further.
What could those materials become if they were recycled?
This is a great opportunity to get children thinking about the journey of everyday objects and the idea that something we no longer need could become something useful again.
The Recycle Week pack includes ready-to-use sorting and matching activities to help pupils explore materials and items that can be created from recycling.
4. Meet Benny the Bottle
Stories can be a brilliant way to introduce environmental topics, particularly with younger pupils.
Meet Benny the Bottle, who gets a second chance rather than simply being thrown away.
After reading the story, ask your pupils:
- What other objects might get a “second chance”?
- What do you think happened to Benny?
- Why was he given a second chance?
- What could happen to a bottle after it has been recycled?
The story provides a starting point for comprehension, discussion and creative thinking.
5. Become recycling word detectives
How many words about recycling can your pupils explain?
Challenge them to investigate words such as:Become recycling word detectives
recycle • reuse • reduce • materials • waste • landfill
Can they explain what each word means in their own words?
You could then challenge pupils to spot recycling vocabulary around the classroom or use their new words in sentences.
There’s also a recycling-themed word search in our topical pack for pupils who enjoy a quick challenge.
6. Design a recycling poster
Now it’s time for your pupils to become recycling campaigners.
Ask them to create a poster encouraging other children, their families or the wider school community to recycle more.
- What message will they choose?
- What image will grab people’s attention?
- How can they make their message short, clear and memorable?
We’ve made this easy with a Recycling poster writing activity, which pupils can use to share what they’ve learned and encourage others to recycle too.
7. Take the recycling conversation home
Recycling doesn’t stop at the classroom door.
Challenge pupils to talk to someone at home about what they’ve learned during Recycle Week.
They could ask:
- What do we recycle at home?
- Are there things we could recycle that we currently throw away?
- What could we reuse rather than replace?
- What have I learned this week that you didn’t know?
You could finish the week by sharing some of the most interesting discoveries with the class.
Ready to explore recycling with your class?
If you’re looking for ready-to-use resources to support your Recycle Week activities, we’ve created a FREE Recycle Week topical pack for primary schools. It includes:
- A recycling fact sheet
- A ‘Recycle an extra item a day’ tracker
- Recycling myths and truths with a comprehension activity
- Recycling sorting and matching activities
- A story about Benny the Bottle, with comprehension and discussion activities
- A recycling terminology word search
Want more curriculum-linked activities?
From maths and English to science, coding, history and geography, Busy Things has over 1,600 engaging activities and games designed for primary school pupils.
If you’d like to explore more, why not start a free 28-day trial and see what your pupils think?
Any questions? Just give us a call on 01332 364963 or email us at enquiries@busythings.co.uk.
This blog post was reviewed and updated in August 2026.