Why Is Recycling Important?

🕐 4 min 23 sec 👦 Ages 4–5 🌍 English
Join Koko and Owlo as they explore the importance of recycling and how it helps our planet. A fun way to learn about caring for the Earth!
Understand what recycling means Identify items that can be recycled Learn the benefits of recycling for the planet
📖 Story Script
                    Koko:
                    Owlo, Owlo! Look what I found outside on my way here today.
                
                    Owlo:
                    My goodness, Koko. It looks like you are carrying quite a big bag. What is inside?
                
                    Koko:
                    I found a plastic bottle, an old newspaper, and a tin can. They were just sitting on the ground near the garden path.
                
                    Owlo:
                    Oh, you picked up litter on your way to school. That was a very kind and thoughtful thing to do, Koko.
                
                    Koko:
                    But what do we do with all of this stuff now? I did not want to just throw it in the bin.
                
                    Owlo:
                    That is a wonderful instinct, Koko. Actually, these things do not all belong in the regular bin. Have you ever heard the word recycling?
                
                    Koko:
                    I think my mom said it once. But I do not really know what it means.
                
                    Owlo:
                    Recycling means taking something old that you are done using, and turning it into something brand new. Instead of throwing it away forever, we give it a second life.
                
                    Koko:
                    A second life? Like the bottle gets to be a bottle again?
                
                    Owlo:
                    Sometimes, yes! Or it could become something completely different. Let me show you something. Follow me to the science table, and bring your bag.
                
                    Owlo:
                    Here, let us look at your plastic bottle first. When plastic gets thrown in the ground or the sea, it stays there for a very, very long time.
                
                    Koko:
                    How long is a very long time?
                
                    Owlo:
                    A plastic bottle can take over four hundred years to go away. That is longer than your great-great-great-grandparents have been alive.
                
                    Koko:
                    That is SO long. That makes me feel a little sad for the earth.
                
                    Owlo:
                    It is okay to feel that way, Koko. That feeling is what makes us want to help. And recycling is one of the best ways we can help.
                
                    Koko:
                    So what happens when we recycle the bottle instead of throwing it away?
                
                    Owlo:
                    The bottle gets collected, cleaned, and melted down. Then it can be made into a new bottle, or even a fleece jacket to keep someone warm.
                
                    Koko:
                    Wait, my jacket could be made from an old bottle? That is so cool and also a little bit wild.
                
                    Owlo:
                    It really is remarkable, is it not? Now, what about your newspaper? Paper comes from trees, and trees are very important for our air.
                
                    Koko:
                    Because trees give us oxygen? We learned that in the garden last week.
                
                    Owlo:
                    Exactly right, well remembered. When we recycle paper, we need to cut down fewer trees. That means more trees stay alive to clean our air.
                
                    Koko:
                    So recycling the newspaper is like giving a tree a hug.
                
                    Owlo:
                    I love that way of thinking about it, Koko. And your tin can works the same way. Metal can be melted and used again and again.
                
                    Koko:
                    So nothing has to go to waste. Everything in my bag can have a new job.
                
                    Owlo:
                    That is exactly it. The earth only has so many trees, so much metal, and so much clean water. When we recycle, we use less of those precious things.
                
                    Koko:
                    Precious means really important and special, right?
                
                    Owlo:
                    Yes, it does. The earth's resources are precious because once they are gone, they are very hard to get back.
                
                    Koko:
                    I want to tell my mom and dad about this. Maybe we can get a recycling bin for our home.
                
                    Owlo:
                    That would be a wonderful idea. Many families have one bin for regular rubbish and one for recycling. It is a small change that makes a big difference.
                
                    Koko:
                    Small change, big difference. I like that. It sounds like something you would put on a poster, Owlo.
                
                    Owlo:
                    Maybe you should make that poster in the art room one day. Now, before we go put these in the recycling bin, can you tell me what you learned today?
                
                    Koko:
                    Okay! So, recycling means giving old things a brand new life instead of throwing them away forever. Plastic bottles can take four hundred years to go away, which is way too long.
                
                    Koko:
                    When we recycle paper, we save trees. When we recycle plastic and metal, we save the earth's precious resources. And apparently, my jacket might secretly be a bottle.
                
                    Owlo:
                    A perfect summary, Koko. Next time, maybe we can explore where recycling trucks take everything after they collect it. There is a whole big journey after the bin.
                
                    Koko:
                    Oh, I want to know that. Let us do that next time. But first, I am going to go put this bottle, newspaper, and can where they belong.