Britany Cárdenas classifies and orders the recycled material during her outings with her grandmother Elsa.Photo: Julio Estrella/ El ComercioAll the bottles that Britany Cárdenas finds in his path -on the street or in a park- end up in his house;he washes them and stores them inside a garbage bag: one after another super flattened.When the container is full he goes to a recycler to sell all the material.He also carries cartons.For each monthly delivery he receives between USD 5 and 6.With that money she buys 'snacks' or saves it to buy diapers for her little brother.This girl recycles since she was in the garden;she is now 12 years old.She does it because she loves her planet.She is concerned about the warming and pollution of the seas and oceans.Also, she found an honest way to get money.Recycling takes her time, but Britany doesn't care.She assures that this activity amuses her.She also helps spark her creativity.During the pandemic, for example, she did a lot of crafts.With several pieces of cardboard and a couple of plastic bottles, she built a house for her dolls and dozens of her toys.“I got bored during isolation and started building things.It was fun".The motivation and support of parents, older siblings, grandparents and other relatives is decisive for the little ones to cultivate this good habit.Britany started to recycle motivated by her grandmother Elsa of her.Until now they go out together, with a garbage bag in their hands, to recover the bottles that other people discard in public spaces.Her grandmother Ligia -on the other hand- gives her cardboard boxes.This little girl confesses that in every outing they find material to recycle.Her findings excite her, but they also make her wonder why people are unable to dispose of waste in her place."Too easy.If you don't find a garbage dump nearby, return the waste to your house, ”she reflects.Sisters Mhia Valentina and Linda Isabella Lara ask themselves the same question.The action of these people overwhelms them because they know that much of this waste ends up in the sea and that animals run the risk of mistaking it for food and devouring it."Turtles can eat the plastic and sharks or whales can get trapped," they say.According to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), every year 640,000 tons of gear end up in the sea, responsible for between 5% and 30% of the deterioration of fish schools fishable.In addition, they account for 58% of the macroplastics in the ocean.With the intention of reducing that risk, with the help of her mother and her grandmother, they immersed themselves in the world of recycling.Mhia is 7 years old and Linda is 5, and together they recover the plastic bags to give them a second use.To maintain order, they store them in a plastic bottle.They do the same with toilet paper rolls.With those they make crafts;They paint and decorate them however they like, and they're ready to function as pencil holders, jewelry boxes, or lip gloss and makeup containers.They wash the oil cans and reuse them as planters.They recently planted a small cypress.Linda Isabella 'shows off' to her visits.Like Britany, these two little ones also have fun recycling.That is the key, warns microbiologist Judith Romero, so that the little ones in the house fall in love with this activity.In minors, recycling should be like a game so that it flows naturally.Parents can read them books or invite them to watch 'movies' or series that promote this activity.They can also give you prizes for recovering recyclable objects.While the material is being classified, it is important to socialize environmental problems, also in a playful way.In this way, children will feel more connected to the needs of the planet.People concentrate on recycling plastic bottles, but at the recycling centers they also receive cell phones, connectors, power supplies, monitors, keyboards, hard drives, processors, memories, printers, glass, chemical paper, radiators, hard plastic, material made with copper and PVC…The list of possibilities is extensive.In these collection points, you pay per kilo: cardboard is between USD 0.13 and 0.15.For a kilo of hard plastic they pay up to USD 0.50 and for a kilo of plastic called chewing gum they receive between USD 0.25 and 0.30.The kilo of scrap costs USD 0.18.Romero recalls that all these materials are also received by the recyclers who visit the different neighborhoods.So they no longer have to put their hands inside the garbage containers.When they do that they run the risk of cutting themselves and getting sick.In the different collection centers they also receive complete and incomplete CPUs and cell phone cards.In the paper-cardboard category, white and printed bond paper, chemical paper, newsprint can be sold.The list of ferrous and non-ferrous metals includes: bronze and copper elements, copper-aluminum radiators and copper-bronze radiators.In the case of plastic bottles, before sending them to the collection centers it is important to remove the lid, wash and flatten them.Telephone copper, sewer covers, water meters and signage are not recycled.All those objects belong to the cities.Phrase: «I feel bad when people throw garbage in the street or on the beach.I think we can do much more for our planet.”Brittany Cardenas.Student© Rights reserved 2022 EL COMERCIO Group.The total or partial reproduction, by any means, of all the contents without the express authorization of Grupo EL COMERCIO is prohibited.