**Note: This page is for educational inspiration and is not officially affiliated with Zero Waste Week. Zero Waste Week is an annual campaign run by the non-profit organisation Zero Waste Week. For official information and resources, please visit the Zero Waste Week website (www.zerowasteweek.co.uk).
Monday 7th - Friday 11th September 2026
Understanding Zero Waste Week in EYFS & KS1
Reduce, reuse, recycle! Zero Waste Week is an annual, international campaign that takes place during the first full week of September. It encourages individuals, businesses, and communities to reduce the amount of waste they send to landfill. The campaign highlights simple ways we can all minimize our environmental impact by focusing on the "5 Rs": Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Rot (compost), and Recycle.
For early years settings, nurseries, preschools, childminders, and Year 1 and Year 2 classrooms, Zero Waste Week provides a crucial and highly practical theme for exploring environmental responsibility, sustainability, and caring for our planet. It's about teaching children about waste, understanding where things go, and empowering them to make positive choices for the environment. This week offers fantastic planning ideas and inspiration for engaging activities that truly resonate with young minds, making learning about ecology and conservation both tangible and impactful.
Why Is Teaching About Zero Waste & Recycling Important for Young Children?
Integrating lessons about zero waste, recycling, and sustainability into your practice with young children (aged 0-7) is incredibly important for fostering environmental awareness, responsible habits, and a sense of global citizenship. During their early years, children are forming their understanding of the world and their place within it.
Environmental Stewardship: Teaching about waste helps children understand their impact on the planet and instils a desire to protect natural resources.
Practical Skills: Learning to sort recycling or reuse materials provides tangible skills they can apply at home and in school.
Problem-Solving: Discussing how to reduce waste encourages creative thinking and problem-solving.
Understanding Materials: Exploring different materials (plastic, paper, metal) and where they come from builds early scientific understanding. Our 'Find and Draw' resources, are great for this.
Future Impact: Instilling these habits early contributes to a generation that is more conscious of their consumption and its long-term effects.
Engaging Zero Waste & Recycling Activities for Zero Waste Week (0-7 Year Olds)
Making Zero Waste Week a truly impactful and hands-on experience is easy with these planning ideas and activities perfect for EYFS and KS1 children. The focus is on doing, learning, and making a difference! Many of these early years and year 1 activities can be supported by the extensive range of printable resources we have available.
Here's some inspiration for bringing the principles of zero waste into your setting: (Please use your own discretion and knowledge of your children to ensure appropriateness of each activity and safety concerning any materials given and activity undertaken.)
Recycling Sorting Challenge: Set up recycling bins (or labelled boxes) for different materials (paper, plastic, metal, cardboard). Provide various clean "waste" items and have children sort them. Use our 'Sort Recycling Cards Activity/Game' for a structured approach and 'Cut, Sort and Stick Recycling Activity' for fine motor practice.
Recycling Centre Role-Play: Create a 'Recycling Centre Dramatic Role-Play Pack' where children can pretend to collect, sort, and process recyclable materials. This helps them understand the journey of waste.
Junk Modelling Challenge: Provide a variety of clean "junk" materials (cardboard boxes, plastic bottles, paper rolls) and encourage children to design and build something new. Use our 'Junk Modelling Challenge - Design a...Sheets' to prompt their creativity (e.g., "Design a Robot," "Design a Castle").
"Don't Use Plastic Bags!" Campaign: Discuss the impact of single-use plastic bags. Use our 'Don't Use Plastic Bags! Poster' and 'Don't Use Plastic Bags! Colouring Poster'. Children can design their own reusable "Bag for Life" with our 'Design a Bag for Life' resource.
Recycling Symbol Exploration: Introduce the universal recycling symbol. Use our 'Recycling Symbol - Fine Motor Control Sheets', 'Recycling Symbol - Multimats' for tracing and recognition activities.
Material Discovery: Explore different materials around the setting and discuss what they are made of and if they can be recycled. Use our 'Recyclable Materials - Word Cards' and 'Find and Draw - Fabric', 'Find and Draw - Metal', 'Find and Draw - Paper/Card', 'Find and Draw - Plastic', and 'Find and Draw - Wood' to guide this exploration.
"Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" Song or Rhyme: Teach a simple song or rhyme about the 3 Rs to help children remember the core concepts.
Composting Corner (If Applicable): If your setting has a garden or outdoor space, start a small composting bin for fruit and vegetable scraps. This teaches about "rot" as part of the zero-waste cycle.
Litter Pick-Up (Supervised): Conduct a small, supervised litter pick-up around the setting's outdoor area (with gloves and proper tools) to highlight the importance of not littering.
Story Time: Environmental Books: Read age-appropriate books about recycling, reducing waste, or caring for the Earth.
These activities offer great inspiration for making Zero Waste Week a memorable and impactful experience in your early years and Key Stage One setting, fostering a lifelong commitment to environmental responsibility and sustainability.
To explore ideas surrounding additional early years events, please visit our 'Special Dates Calendar' page.
Printable resources to support teaching & learning surrounding: ‘Zero Waste Week’
Use these fine motor recycling symbol sheets once for pencil control practise or laminate and encourage children to take it in turns with whiteboard pens to practise making the different shapes. Refines motor control skills whilst also developing recognition of the recycling symbol.
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN OUR RESOURCES), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
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Everything you need to set up a Recycling Centre role-play area!
Pack includes:
(Please note that words, etc. can be altered within the editable docx file version.)
‘Recycling Centre’ banner
Signs for sorting ‘Metal’, ‘Plastic’, ‘Food Waste’, ‘Garden Waste’, ‘Paper/Card’ and ‘Glass’
Recycling Symbols
‘Attendant’ identity cards
Social distancing signs & floormats
Various Posters, such as ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ and ‘Not sure where your items go?…Please ask an attendant’
‘Open’ & ‘Closed’ signs
‘Recycling Centre Opening Times’ Poster - Space to draw hands on clock and write times
‘Opens at…o’ clock’ and ‘Closes at…o’ clock’ signs - spaces for emergent writing
‘Recycling Notes’ Template sheets for emergent writing
Recycling item word cards to be used for display or sorting activities in conjunction with the material signs mentioned above.
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN OUR RESOURCES), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
Idea:
When the cards are prepared, lay them out either picture side up or down. Child(ren) to choose a card and then decide, with discussion if necessary, where the card belongs. Sorting groups include: Plastic, Paper or Card, Metal, Food Waste, Garden Waste and Glass.
Follow-up:
Find real-life items to add to the game. Which group do they belong to?
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN OUR RESOURCES), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs) #
Challenge sheets encouraging children to think about how they could reuse cardboard boxes, plastic tubs, etc for a new purpose. Challenge sheets include: Design a…House for the 3 little pigs, Puppet and Musical Instrument. Also included is a sheet with a space for your own ideas.
Sheets are designed to encourage children to pause and think through what they are about to make. The sheets are primarily intended for children to draw their design. To extend those children in need of a further challenge, you may like to suggest that they add labels.
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN OUR RESOURCES), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN OUR RESOURCES), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
Once laminated these Recycling Symbol Multimats are ideal to be used as a reusable playdough or loose part mats. Alternatively, use them in conjunction with whiteboard pens. Without lamination the sheets could also be used with mark making tools or art and craft materials.
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN OUR RESOURCES), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
Use these fine motor recycling symbol sheets once for pencil control practise or laminate and encourage children to take it in turns with whiteboard pens to practise making the different shapes. Refines motor control skills whilst also developing recognition of the recycling symbol.
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN OUR RESOURCES), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN OUR RESOURCES), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
Versatile sheets for children to create their own bag for life designs.
Use with pencils/crayons or art and craft cut and stick/collage materials.
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN OUR RESOURCES), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN OUR RESOURCES), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN OUR RESOURCES), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
These sheets have been designed as a stimulus to encourage children to explore their environment and learn about the different types of materials around them.
Within the pack there are 2 sheets to choose from. The first requires children to find and draw 4 different objects which contain fabric and the second only 1.
Possible extensions…
Write labels/annotate drawings.
Talk about how the materials look and feel. Perhaps explore the sounds they can make.
(Explore sounds that different materials make further with resources found HERE.)
Can we recycle this material?
(Recycling resources HERE.)
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN OUR RESOURCES), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
<<-BACK TO ‘GLOBAL RECYCLING DAY’ MENU
These sheets have been designed as a stimulus to encourage children to explore their environment and learn about the different types of materials around them.
Within the pack there are 2 sheets to choose from. The first requires children to find and draw 4 different objects which contain metal and the second only 1.
Possible extensions…
Write labels/annotate drawings.
Talk about how the materials look and feel. Perhaps explore the sounds they can make.
(Explore sounds that different materials make further with resources found HERE.)
Can we recycle this material?
(Recycling resources HERE.)
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN OUR RESOURCES), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
<<-BACK TO ‘GLOBAL RECYCLING DAY’ MENU
These sheets have been designed as a stimulus to encourage children to explore their environment and learn about the different types of materials around them.
Within the pack there are 2 sheets to choose from. The first requires children to find and draw 4 different objects which contain paper/card and the second only 1.
Possible extensions…
Write labels/annotate drawings.
Talk about how the materials look and feel. Perhaps explore the sounds they can make.
(Explore sounds that different materials make further with resources found HERE.)
Can we recycle this material?
(Recycling resources HERE.)
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN OUR RESOURCES), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
<<-BACK TO ‘GLOBAL RECYCLING DAY’ MENU
These sheets have been designed as a stimulus to encourage children to explore their environment and learn about the different types of materials around them.
Within the pack there are 2 sheets to choose from. The first requires children to find and draw 4 different objects which contain plastic and the second only 1.
Possible extensions…
Write labels/annotate drawings.
Talk about how the materials look and feel. Perhaps explore the sounds they can make.
(Explore sounds that different materials make further with resources found HERE.)
Can we recycle this material?
(Recycling resources HERE.)
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN OUR RESOURCES), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
<<-BACK TO ‘GLOBAL RECYCLING DAY’ MENU
These sheets have been designed as a stimulus to encourage children to explore their environment and learn about the different types of materials around them.
Within the pack there are 2 sheets to choose from. The first requires children to find and draw 4 different objects which contain wood and the second only 1.
Possible extensions…
Write labels/annotate drawings.
Talk about how the materials look and feel. Perhaps explore the sounds they can make.
(Explore sounds that different materials make further with resources found HERE.)
Can we recycle this material?
(Recycling resources HERE.)
Original artwork drawn by Sara Murphy and final digital resources created by Stuart Murphy. COPYRIGHT ON ALL OF THE RESOURCES HOUSED ON THIS WEBSITE IS HELD BY ‘LITTLE OWLS RESOURCES’. OUR RESOURCES (INCLUDING THE IMAGES WITHIN OUR RESOURCES), CANNOT BE SHARED OR SOLD COMMERCIALLY.
DOWNLOAD EDITABLE (DOCX)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (PDF)
DOWNLOAD NON-EDITABLE (Zipped JPEGs)
<<-BACK TO ‘GLOBAL RECYCLING DAY’ MENU
Additional Pages you may like to explore which cover relevant &/or Connected themes
CLICK HERE to visit the ‘BEACH SCHOOL’ PAGE.
Printable ‘Beach’ teaching and learning resources include: scavenger hunts/checklists, mindfulness activity cards, cockle shell age poster, senses booklets and prompts, colouring pages, drawing/writing/mark making sheets, shell multimats, playdough/ loose part mats, art and craft activities, templates, pattern cards, natural loose part art prompts/posters, shapes, pre-writing, rockpool fact cards, symmetry, activity/movement challenges, display lettering, sand play and more!
More Early Years Event Pages for September
Monday 14th - Sunday 20th September 2026: Let's recycle! ♻️ Recycle Week is an annual event in the UK. Organised by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action…
Saturday 26th September 2026: Bonjour, hola, ciao! European Day of Languages is celebrated annually on September 26th. This initiative, organised by the Council of Europe with the European Union, aims to celebrate the rich…
Monday 21st - Sunday 27th September 2026: See clearly, learn happily! National Eye Health Week is a fantastic annual campaign in the UK. Promoted by Eye Health UK, its aim is to raise…
Monday 21st September 2026: Let's make peace! 🕊️ The U.N. International Day of Peace, often simply called Peace Day, is observed globally every year on September 21st. Established by the United Nations, this day is…
Friday 18th - Sunday 27th September 2026: Let's clean up our beaches! The Great British Beach Clean is an annual event organised by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS), in 2026 it is being held between 18th and 27th…
Saturday 19th September 2026: Ahoy, mateys! International Talk Like a Pirate Day is a fantastically fun, unofficial holiday celebrated worldwide every year on September 19th. This day was founded in 1995 by John Baur…
Wednesday 16th September 2026: Get up and get active! National Fitness Day is the UK's biggest annual celebration of physical activity. Organised by ukactive, in 2026 it takes place on September 16th. The day aims to highlight…
Sunday 13th September 2026: Think happy thoughts! Positive Thinking Day, observed informally on September 13th, is a wonderful opportunity to focus on the power of optimism, resilience, and a 'can-do' attitude. While…
Wednesday 9th September 2026: Hugs for Teddies! Teddy Bear Day is a charming and informal celebration that takes place on September 9th. It's a day to celebrate the beloved teddy bear, a timeless companion for children…
Wednesday 9th September 2026: Time to get puzzling! International Sudoku Day is a fantastic occasion observed annually on September 9th. This date was chosen because Sudoku is famously played on a 9x9 grid! While…
Tuesday 8th September 2026: Read all about it! International Literacy Day is celebrated every year on September 8th. Established by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in…
Monday 7th - Friday 11th September 2026: Reduce, reuse, recycle! Zero Waste Week is an annual, international campaign that takes place during the first full week of September. It encourages individuals, businesses, and communities to…
September 2026: Hooray for friends! Friendship Month is a wonderful, informal initiative often celebrated during September (though sometimes observed in August or February) to shine a spotlight on the…
September 2026: Crunch, munch! Snack-tember is a fantastic, informal awareness initiative that encourages a focus on healthy snacking throughout the month of September, particularly as children return to school…
Explore special dates (including awareness dates, festivals, celebrations & events) relevant to your EYFS & KS1 children
Browse our ‘Special Dates Calendar’ page using the link below. You’ll find calendars for every month of the year to aid your planning!
Click here to visit our ‘Special Dates Calendar’ page for an entire year of key EYFS & KS1 events, festivals & celebrations.
Search ‘Little Owls Resources’ Using the following Menu Buttons…
Click here to visit our ‘Special Dates Calendar’ page for an entire year of key EYFS & KS1 events, festivals & celebrations.
Disclaimer:
This page is for educational purposes only and is intended to support early years and primary practitioners with ideas and resources related to 'Zero Waste Week'. We are not officially affiliated with or endorsed by the Zero Waste Week non-profit organisation. We do not claim any rights to specific trademarks or official materials associated with this campaign. For official information and resources, please visit the Zero Waste Week website at www.zerowasteweek.co.uk.
Sunday 6th September 2026: Time to get cosy with a book! 📚📖 National Read a Book Day is an unofficial observance, primarily celebrated in the United States, annually on September 6th. Its simple yet powerful…