It's about bringing children up in such a way that recycling and saving energy feels the natural thing to do.

In the busy hubbub of family life, it's easy to think you haven't got time to 'mess around' with recycling - all that bottle rinsing, and piles of newspapers can seem a bit of a fag.

Besides, one family can't really make that much difference - can it?

Well, the fact is, it can. Better still, if you go green, the chances are your kids will follow suit.

If you need more convincing, remind yourself that 27 million tonnes of rubbish pours into landfill sites every year in the UK - that's the equivalent of three and a half million double-decker buses.

And the UK's 2,300 landfill sites are predicted to be full in five to 10 years.

In just over a week, we produce enough rubbish to fill Wembley Stadium - and half of that could be recycled.

Recycling competition in schools.

It makes shocking reading. And it's not helped by recent research that reveals teenagers and young adults are the nation's biggest wasters. A quarter of 16-24-year-olds failed to carry out any energy saving measures around the home, according to the Daily Mail Ideal Home Show survey.

"Even the smallest things can have a really big impact," says Samantha Blades of www.recycle-more.co.uk. "A recycled glass bottle will save enough energy to power a light bulb for four hours. So if people are just throwing things out, there are implications.

"These days, virtually all homes in the UK have kerbside recycling collections, so there really is no excuse."

Check out with recycle-more or your local council exactly what can go in the kerbside collection.

Sit down with the family and talk about ideas for going green. Start a 'waste' calendar and give each family member a different responsibility each week - plastic, glass, newspapers etc.

Sit down with the family and talk about ideas for going green.

Give children facts they understand. For example, 25 plastic bottles will make enough fibre for a fleece jacket.

Go to the Energy Saving Trust at www.est.org.uk and find out how to save money with simple steps, like not leaving electrical appliances on standby.

Discuss financial implications with older children. If they save well, consider putting some of the money towards a 'reward'.

Encourage younger children to build a wormery, make things of papier-mache - anything that helps them understand rubbish and recycling.

Be green yourself. Don't put on the dishwasher for just a few pots. Don't live with a leaky tap washer - it will drip the equivalent of half a bathful of water in a day.

"It's about getting everyone thinking, and bringing children up in such a way that recycling and saving energy feels the natural thing to do," says Blades.

"This is not just about your children's future, it's about your grandchildren's future and beyond. Our resources are finite, and we are already beginning to see the consequences of our wasteful behaviour.

"So if the future matters to you, don't ignore the facts. You just can't afford to be complacent, whatever your age."