What do I do with…?

Wooden Toys

Toys

Why is toy waste a problem? Toys are made of complex material combinations, often different kinds of hard and soft plastics. These qualities make toys difficult to recycle. The toy industry is very profitable and so there is an abundance of toys being produced. Because of this, toys often get thrown away to make room for new ones. Too many toys are ending up in the landfill when they could be salvaged, repaired, or donated to children in need.

Examples: toy animals,‎ art and craft toys,‎ construction toys,‎ dolls,‎ educational toys,‎ electronic toys,‎ toy mascots‎, mechanical toys,‎ novelty items‎, optical toys,‎ physical activity and dexterity toys,‎ powered toys,‎ practical joke devices‎, puppetry‎, puzzles,‎ scale modeling‎ toy figurines,‎ toy instruments and noisemakers,‎ toy robots‎, toy weapons,‎ transforming toys,‎ toy vehicles,‎ water toys‎

Reduce

  • Carefully consider how many toys children need to stay entertained. Kids are very imaginative!

  • A less messy and a tidy home is an added bonus to reducing the amount of toys you purchase

  • If you plan on having more children, keep and reuse old toys instead of buying new ones

Reuse

  • Donate toys to these local nonprofit organizations that service families and children

  • YWCA Programs -- donation wish lists

    • Planet Kids needs donations of gently used toys, art supplies, and board games

  • Ronald McDonald House Missoula --  wish list

    • In need of gently used toys and DVD movies

  • Mountain Home Montana -- donation list

    • In need of baby toys and children’s books in good condition

  • During the holiday season there are toy collection programs that need donations:

Recycle

  • Because toys are often made of complex plastics, they can be difficult to recycle

  • TerraCycle runs numerous recycling programs for hard to recycle items; consumers purchase boxes for recycling a particular category of item, fill up the box and send it back.