Motherhood: Educating Your Littles on Recycling in the Bathroom

Hey there! It’s Caitlin from Sacramento Street. Spring is finally here, and it’s time to do some conscious cleaning! I’m partnering with Care To Recycle®, a program of Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. that raises awareness about bathroom recycling.

I grew up in a household of devoted conservationists. We lived in Mexico City and there was no recycling. However, that didn’t stop us from starting a program of recycling at the school I went to (Colegio Americano) and also introducing recycling into the American Embassy. To say the least, recycling is part of my DNA. Yet now that I have my own family, I’ve noticed that in the bathroom we sometimes let things slip and recyclable items end up in the garbage.

Since becoming a mother, I’ve found that my life has become busier than ever before. Trying to juggle a toddler with being a working mom often finds me letting things fall by the wayside. For example, there have been times when I put items in the trash that could certainly be recycled. What I failed to do is set up a system that is in the bathroom and easy to use. Thankfully, Care To Recycle® has come to the rescue! By setting up a system right in the bathroom, recycling becomes effortless!

I’ve recently learned that I’m not the only one. With so much going on for moms, it’s easy to understand how even the simplest tasks can fall off a to-do list. Children are playing a big role in a mom’s productivity, with three in four moms reporting that involving their kids in their to-do list helps them get more done. The Care To Recycle® program teaches families the importance of recycling bathroom items and repurposing them for different uses.

Psst: Learn how to get a free bathroom recycling bin with qualifying purchase at cvs.com/caretorecycle.

I’ve found it fun to get my kiddo, Jackson, involved in setting this up. He actually loves to organize (I know — apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!), so with his help, I can get the bathroom recycling set up and working for all of us. We’ve also had fun thinking of new ways to reuse products. For instance, we’ve found all kinds of uses for toilet paper rolls. They’re perfect for making poppers for the holidays and birthday celebrations. And any box that crosses our path is reconfigured for his trains to ride through!

To begin with, you need to differentiate between those items that are recyclable and those to place in the garbage.

Here are the items you can recycle:

• Shampoo and conditioner bottles

• Body wash bottles

• Lotion bottles

• Baby powder bottles

• Facial cleanser bottles

• Body oil bottles

• Toilet paper rolls

• Cardboard boxes

• Cartons (for over-the-counter medicine, lotions, soap, and adhesive bandages)

And here’s a list of what you shouldn’t recycle:

• Toothbrushes

• Toothpaste tubes (they’re made from plastic laminate)

• Pumps (they have multiple components). Throw these in the trash then recycle the bottle.

• Floss containers (they also contain multiple components)

We’ve even set up a reward chart that makes it fun for him to use as he completes certain tasks throughout the day. It all started when we had to change up his regular bedtime routine by adding teeth brushing. The “reward” is a sticker, which he is obsessed with. He loves putting stickers on his “Shining Star Chart” — you can download your very own here.

Recycling can be fun and will teach your children how to take care of the planet. I hope this has inspired you to not only begin recycling in your own bathroom but to get the entire family involved in this incredible mission Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. has begun. For more information and additional printable charts, go to Care To Recycle®!

Will you add a recycling bin to your bathroom? We’d love to hear from you. Let us know on Twitter @BritandCo.

Styling + Photography: Caitlin Flemming