20 words are hidden in the letters, or ten short ones for a first try. Tap the first letter of a word, then its last letter.
The 20 words
recycle reuse reduce paper plastic tin metal bottle can box bin jar carton cardboard compost sort earth planet green clean
Twenty words about recycling, from paper, plastic, metal and cardboard to the bin, the carton and the compost pile. There are 20 words and 103 letters to find. The longest word is "cardboard", at 9 letters. No word on the list uses F, K, Q, V, W and Z.
The words by length
| Length | How many | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 3 letters | 5 | tin can box bin jar |
| 4 letters | 1 | sort |
| 5 letters | 6 | reuse paper metal earth green clean |
| 6 letters | 4 | reduce bottle carton planet |
| 7 letters | 3 | recycle plastic compost |
| 9 letters | 1 | cardboard |
A shorter puzzle of ten
Choose "10 short words" beside the heading for a smaller grid with these ten: reuse, paper, tin, metal, can, box, bin, jar, sort and earth. None has more than 5 letters. On a phone the full puzzle takes twelve of the 20, so the letters stay big enough to tap.
Hints for this puzzle
- Start with the longest words. Cardboard, recycle and plastic take up the most room, so they are the easiest to spot.
- 5 words start with C. When you find a C, check it for can, carton, cardboard, compost and clean.
- 3 words start with B. When you find a B, check it for bottle, box and bin.
- Look for doubled letters. Two of the same letter side by side stand out in a grid: bottle and green.
Play it or print it
On the screen, tap the first letter of a word and then its last letter, and the word is crossed off the list. Easy hides words across and down, Medium adds corner to corner, and Hard adds backwards. Press Print for two pages, the puzzle and its answer key, and "New puzzle" for the same words in new places. The word search maker page explains how each grid is made and kept clean.
It suits Earth Day, a cleanup week at school or the afternoon the recycling truck comes down the street. Circle each material in blue, then walk around the house and find one real thing made of paper, one of plastic and one of metal.
The same words on bingo cards and flash cards
The bingo card generator deals these words onto cards, each one a different mix, and the flash cards page prints them eight to a sheet.
More word searches
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Questions
What words are in the recycling word search?
Recycle, reuse, reduce, paper, plastic, tin, metal, bottle, can, box, bin, jar, carton, cardboard, compost, sort, earth, planet, green and clean.
Is there an easier recycling word search?
Yes. Choose "10 short words" for a smaller puzzle with reuse, paper, tin, metal, can, box, bin, jar, sort and earth. On Easy, words only run across and down.
Can I print it with an answer key?
Yes. Press Print for two pages: the puzzle and its answer key. Each press of "New puzzle" makes a different sheet.
Is the recycling word search free?
Yes. There are no ads and nothing to sign up for.