How Teaching Our Kids to Sort Trash Turned into a Fun Family Game (and a little Extra Pocket Money!)

Ever wondered if you could turn something as mundane as waste segregation into an exciting family challenge? Well, we did—and spoiler alert: It’s one of the best things we’ve ever done as a family. But before you start imagining a battlefield of old newspapers and smelly banana peels, let me show you how we transformed our daily waste habits into an adventure—and got our kids involved in ways we never expected!

The Waste Segregation Challenge: Turning Trash into Treasure

You know the story. We live in a world overflowing with plastic, food wrappers, and cardboard boxes, and we all know it’s not going to magically disappear. But what if we could make a difference at home first? I wasn’t ready for a full-fledged recycling center in the utility, but we figured we could at least start small. And by small, I mean, teaching our kids to segregate waste and turn it into something useful. Here's how we did it:

The Great Waste Segregation Race

Let’s be honest—kids love a good competition. So, instead of telling them to pick up plastic bottles (which, let’s face it, is not exactly on their list of things they want to do), we made it into a game. We set up a simple system: Each child got a big gunny bag assigned to them in the utility.

The twist? Every time they filled up the bag (think plastic bottles, food packaging, cardboard boxes and magazines), they could take it to the local "Kaali paper / kabadi wala" (junk collector) and get money for it. Yeah, you read that right—money. I’ll tell you, these kids raced to collect every bit of plastic they could find. From shampoo bottles to food wrappers, nothing was safe. And you know what? They actually started picking up plastic waste outside our house too, because, well, pocket money.

Suddenly, the bathrooms and kitchen were free of shampoo bottles and random food packages. Both of them had this little "race to the finish line" mentality when it came to filling their bags. And guess what? Our waste habits drastically improved, and we ended up contributing less to the landfill.

Why This Works: Turning Responsibility into Fun

Waste segregation at home is a game-changer. And while it may seem like a small step, it’s actually HUGE when it comes to reducing waste. We not only reduced plastic usage in the house but also taught the kids the value of recycling and reusing. Plus, we built a sense of ownership and responsibility. They were excited, and I was thrilled to see that small changes could lead to big differences!

Composting Without a Backyard Farm (Seriously!)

Now, let’s talk composting. I know what you’re thinking: "Do I need a huge garden or a fancy composting system to make this work?" Nope. In fact, you don’t need more than a small bucket and a covered plate. We’ve been composting our kitchen waste for over 5+ years using a very basic setup. We have a small bucket in the kitchen where we dump our veggie peels, fruit scraps, and tea. Every other day, hubby dumps this into a drum we’ve set up on our terrace garden, and voila—compost for the win. The result? Our terrace garden has never looked better. We’ve got fresh veggies growing, and our plants are thriving thanks to the nutrient-rich brown compost. I’d say that’s a win for sustainable living, wouldn’t you?

Declutter with Purpose: Donate, Don’t Trash!

Speaking of waste, we also started going through our closets and toys. No more old clothes that don’t fit the kids (goodbye, tiny tops that are now very fashion-forward for our Coral the furry baby). We donated these items to orphanages. The kids learned about the value of giving, and we freed up space in our home. If we’re going to declutter, why not do it sustainably? And when it came to toys, only the ones with sentimental value stayed. The rest? Off to new homes, where they’ll be loved all over again.

Ditching Plastic for Good: A Simple Swap

We’re not done yet. One of our best sustainable living swaps? Tupperware. Gone are the days of plastic containers for reheating food. We swapped them out for good old glass and steel utensils. And you know what? It’s actually so much easier! No more worrying about whether that plastic container is safe in the microwave. Plus, the kids love the old-school metal tiffin boxes with partition—they even started fighting over whose lunch was "cooler" (and I’m not mad about it).

Upcycled Gardening: The Paint Bucket Plan

Speaking of gardening, here’s a cool trick that you might not expect—paint buckets - they are so thagada (Strong) they withstand anything!  We gave them a second life in our garden. We used them to plant grapes and ferns on the terrace, and guess what? They work perfectly! Not only did this help us reduce waste (yay for upcycling!), but it also gave us a unique way to grow plants. The grapes are thriving, and the ferns are flourishing—proof that you don't need fancy planters to start growing your own food and greenery. We got creative, turned those old paint buckets into garden pots, and now we have a thriving, sustainable garden right at home.

The Simple Truth: Small Steps Lead to Big Change

Our terrace garden has become like a high-end bird hotel, complete with an all-inclusive meal plan and 5star accommodations. Our paint bucket trees, and potted flowers are like an all-you-can-eat buffet for butterflies and bees, who are staying so long they might as well be paying rent.All jokes aside, we take our role as eco-friendly citizens seriously. We teach our kids the importance of waste segregation and respect for nature. Every little act counts. Whether it's rainwater harvesting or not asking for bottled water in a restaurant, segregating plastic and paper waste, encouraging our neighbors to plant at least 2 trees..... we believe that every bit helps. So, if you spot us on our terrace, tending to our mini-garden and chatting with our roosters, just know that we're doing our bit, one compost bin at a time!"

The beauty of starting sustainable living at home is that you don’t need to be an expert. Just start with the basics—segregate your waste, compost, and teach your kids (or anyone else) to do the same. Before you know it, these small changes will make a big difference, and you’ll feel like you’ve unlocked a secret to making the world a little cleaner and greener.

Are you ready to start your own sustainability journey? Let’s make a difference together—one small step at a time!

Ready to live sustainably at home like we did? Start with one simple change—maybe start by recycling or composting today.

Let’s be the change we wish to see in the world! Share your own sustainable living tips in the comments or tag us on Instagram—let’s grow this movement together!

Start at home