Plastic is everywhere these days. And it plays a big role in toys. But as with anything in excess, it becomes bad when it’s way too much.
The question that rises now is – aren’t plastic toys becoming a problem for the environment? The BBC reports a poll from the British Heart Foundation that points to a problem.
In particular, more than a quarter of parents say they throw away perfectly good, working toys. The main reason is that kids simply don’t play with them.
It turns out that on average, kids have at least 4 toys they don’t play with. So, parents usually simply throw these toys away. And they end up as trash on a beach or a land somewhere.
So, what to do? Kids will always want new toys. And toy manufacturers increasingly try to use more eco-friendly materials for their toys.
Still, there’s more that parents can do, too. When you have unused, but still perfectly good toys, simply donate them. There are plenty of organizations which will make sure these toys will live on instead of simply ending up at the garbage land.
“Toys are far from single use plastics, as we know from research that they stay within a household for approximately 10 years and tend to then be passed on to charities, friends and families,” Natasha Crookes from the British Toy and Hobby Association says.
There are also markets for second-hand toys where you can buy and sell. All of this increases the longevity of the toys and keeps them away from becoming trash. And finally, instead of simply throwing unused or broken toys, you can give them to be recycled.
“If your toys and games are beyond repair, it may still be possible to recycle some of the parts if you dismantle them – and this includes batteries and battery packs from remote controls which should be removed and recycled”, the Recycle Now campaign group says.
So, there are always options and alternatives. This way you get the most out of the toys and keep them away from becoming a problem for the environment. It may seem like something small to do, but it may have a noticeable difference.
