Comments on: Where do your kids’ toys go to die? Children, consumerism, toys and trash

By: Water & Lightning » All Good Toys Go To Heaven (or Landfill)

Water & Lightning » All Good Toys Go To Heaven (or Landfill) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 03:21:41 +0000

[...] Go right now to your toy closet or box. Go ahead take a look. That’s a lot of toys isn’t it? What happens to them when your child outgrows them? My wife and I usually take the old toys and drop it of at a collection box and our local market. It makes you wonder with the billions of dollars spent on toys in this country every year, how much of that ends up being handed down to other kids or the garbage dump. An article over at Crunchy Domestic Goddess discusses options on what to do when it’s time for your kid’s toys to go and die. [...]

By: Tricky | elise a. miller

Tricky | elise a. miller — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 19:14:22 +0000

[...] I looked at the prices. And thought about the landfill overtaking the planet like the Blob. we're overrun by [...]

By: Suzanne

Suzanne — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 19:20:55 +0000

Amy, thank you for bringing this to people’s attention. Slowly we will change our culture, I think it is happening already.

It’s easy to keep usable toys out of the landfill. Most people know at least some children in their neighborhoods to give toys to. We have received lots of free toys from kids who have outgrown them, and we intend to pass them on later.

Freecycle.org allows people to give away unwanted items (not just toys) to people in their local area. You can also go on the site and post a request for something you want. Certain charities – like the Salvation Army – have a truck and will actually pick up items on request.

I agree that toys that are unique and beautiful are more likely to be given away or passed down to the next generation. Instead of thinking of a toy as a cheap disposable product, why not choose a toy that might be a future heirloom?

By: What Toy Story 3 says about waste (spoilers) |

What Toy Story 3 says about waste (spoilers) | — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 15:08:17 +0000

[...] comes from post-consumer pollution. The toy industry is worth about 20 billion dollars a year (3), and spring cleanings at most houses ship a lot of toys to landfills. A little toy sharing for [...]

By: Amy Neela

Amy Neela — Tue, 25 May 2010 23:59:48 +0000

Right on. In my line of work that isn’t much of an issue (swing sets last a pretty long time), but I am always concerned about the toys my lil ones will grow out of.

By: Elliott - 21st Century Dad

Elliott - 21st Century Dad — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 07:22:37 +0000

This post was right-on. I love what Emily-Sarah had to say about her son trudging through the house on a monster hunt, using his superpowers and found objects to aid in his quest. Your imagination is the biggest toy chest ever!

My mother used to make origami animals for us and showed us how to make our own toys from little pieces of paper. Paper is more easily recycled, so I’m thankful my mother passed down something to me that I can pass along to my daughter.

It’ll take all the great ideas here to make a real impact. Quality vs. quantity. Donate, resuse, reduce, recycle, pass-on, etc.