Review Detail

What happens to the things we throw away or put in the curbside recycling bin? Well, depending on where you live, what ostensibly happens can be very different. My children and I spent a lot of time making sure we were putting correct items in the bin, and this book would have been helpful in explaining to them why it was so important to be conscious about discarding items.

Misha and her family always have some items that are used up, broken, or no longer needed that need to leave their house. Near her house are a variety of recycling bins for different things. She's fortunate that there is a robust recycling center that collects electronics, textiles, glass, paper, and cans. We learn how glass and paper are recycled and turned into new bottles or paper, how food scraps and yard waste are composted, and how cans, textiles, and plastic bottles are turned into many new products. Trash that can't be recycled is burnt in an incinerator that powers a steam generator. Other trash is buried. At the end of the book, Misha's family is shown trying to reduce the amount of waste they create, which is such a critical part of the process! The end of the book includes tips on how readers can keep items from becoming waste.