Recycling toys must be your go-to approach when changing toys and buying new ones. Don’t just throw them away in garbage trucks and try to be eco-friendly. When kids grow older, they give up on old toys and as a parent, you must make sure to properly dispose of those toys.
Americans buy $18 billion worth of toys each year. If you're a parent, you're well aware of how rapidly your children can consume their toys. It's out with the old and in with the new when a toy breaks or a new toy trend enters the market.
Can toys be recycled?
Can toys be recycled?
Yes, some toys can be recycled and you must recycle toys whenever possible. Toys are not part of your household waste so they must not be thrown away with the garbage. Collect them separately and recycle them. Some centers accept toys for recycling. Those toys that are in good condition can be given to charity and poor children who can’t afford to buy toys like you. Moreover, if the toys are beyond repair, you can recycle them in parts like the battery and then the body of that toy.
Toys and games are not accepted in household recycling programs. If they're in good form, pass them along; otherwise, they'll end up in your general rubbish basket. If your toys are beyond repair, certain parts may be recyclable when removed, but they usually include too many different types of plastic.
The issue with recycling toys is that they are often composed of a variety of materials, including plastics, metal, and wood.
Any item that is to be recycled must be segregated from other materials throughout the recycling process. It's difficult to separate the elements in composite objects like toys, which makes recycling toys tough.
Recycling Toys (Plastic):
For recycling a plastic toy, you need to identify the type of plastic its made of. Some toys will have recycling instructions engraved in them while some may not include this information. You can contact your local recyclers and give that plastic toy to them. The best option would be to reach up to the manufacturer of that toy and ask them whether they have recycling programs or not. One recycling program is Terracycle which recycles toys and accepts even plastic pieces. They will recycle any type of toy with zero waste
Recycling Toys (Metals):
Recycling metal toys is the easiest option as many junkyards and scrap yards accept these metal toys and their parts and they make sure to help your metal toys reach a good ending. You can also separate the contents with a magnet and sort them out.
Recycling Toys (Electronics):
When recycling electronic toys, you need to separate the cables, metal, and plastic parts and then contact recyclers to handle them. Perhaps you can combine the cables and make something interesting out of it for your kid.
E-waste recycling efforts run by the government can recycle a lot of damaged electronic gadgets.
Recycling Toys (Wooden):
Wooden toys like building blocks usually last longer and can be used for decades before throwing them away. You can donate it or transform it into something else or use it for decoration. Because of the varnishes and paints used, even 100 percent pure hardwood toys are sometimes unable to be recycled.
Give Away Toys:
Donating toys is the best option because when donating toys you are helping someone else and simultaneously, your toys don’t go wasted. You can donate your toys to donation centers, charitable organizations that will readily accept them. Besides selling your toys in garage sales and social media can also help.
If you're passing toys and games on to friends, relatives, or a charity store, try to save the safety information and any instructions. Host a toy swap with friends, relatives, and neighbors; many toys are in fine working order, but youngsters get bored with them. You can give toys to local thrift stores that accept toys in good condition and display them for reselling.
Children can quickly go through their toys, making the trash bin an appealing opportunity to get rid of everything. Making sure you're properly dumping those old and damaged toys will help you lessen your family's environmental impact even further. Beware of greenwashing as there can be some toys that can’t be recycled but the product will say that it is recyclable.
Can Toys be recycled?
Well, now you have got the answer! Happy Recycling :-)