One good way to introduce recycling to your elementary students is to have recycling bins in your classroom. Set up a separate bin for each type of material to help the students get used to sorting recyclables and to make recyclable materials easier to identify. Encourage the school to set up similar bins in the cafeteria so students can sort their paper, plastic, compost and trash accordingly after they finish eating.
While this may seem like a messy idea, classroom composting can really show the students how much of what they think is garbage doesn't have to take up space in landfills. Also, elementary students often are open to the idea of being around and even touching worms, because they still think squirmy things are cool.
Set up a compost bin for your class or school and encourage students to put in items that are compostable. Until you are certain the students have a good understanding of what is compostable and what isn't, make sorting things a group activity. This is an especially good activity right after lunch, when students are likely to have food trash they might otherwise throw into the garbage.
To encourage class participation in recycling, hold a schoolwide competition to see which class can collect the most recyclable material. You can weigh recyclable paper at the end of each week or see which class is able to raise the most money in cash deposit refunds in states that offer them on bottles and cans.
If there is a cash deposit available for glass and aluminum, have students vote on a way they would like to spend that money to benefit the school and environment. For example, they can install permanent compost bins on the school grounds or plant trees to help cleanse the air they breathe on the playground.
Many grocery stores have plastic bag collection bins to help shoppers recycle the bags that would otherwise pile up under the sink at home or get thrown out. These bags can be recycled to make more plastic grocery bags, so set up a schoolwide collection and turn in the bags at the end of the collection period.
Other collections that will help teach your students about how many things can be recycled include printer ink cartridges, old cellular phones, tennis shoes and soda pull-tabs. Ask the students and their families to bring in these items all at once or set up a collection for a specific item each month.