How to Buy An Eco-Toy the Guilt-Free Way

Eco-aware folks tell us to reduce, reuse, recycle in exactly this order.  Which means the spate of eco-toys sold in toy stores everywhere or online are better off not bought in the first place: the reduce part.  

To be really, as in really eco-friendly, we'd have to reduce our purchased and shun those new sparkling toys...

as if they were the plague--no matter how eco-friendly they claim to be.


 Impossible to follow, of course.  You're probably saying, forget the environment, I'm buying my little boy a Handy Manny toy set.

No monkeying around with eco-toys

So we go to the next R: reuse.  Pre-owned toys are perfectly fine, and if you scour your local thrift store, you might find a treasure trove of second-hand toys still in good condition, all ready to make fresh memories with its new owner. 


Simply put, just because a toy is deemed eco-friendly, that doesn't mean it's 100% eco-friendly.  If for example you're buying it online, think about the carbon footprint that would be spent shipping off the toy.  Or sure, that toy is made out of sustainably-grown bamboo but since the grass thrives best in tropical Asian countries, there's still the fuel to be accounted for to get those bamboo shipped in the US and Europe.




What you can do instead:


1. Arrange a toy swap meet with parents in your neighborhood, and exchange toys with them.  Bring the kids along too.


2.  If you must buy a toy, buy one that's sturdy and can be handed down to another kid when your kid outgrows it.  Don't buy cheap toys that look like they'll fall apart within weeks.


3. Always remember to clean and disinfect any second-hand toy you buy from the thrift store.


4. Sometimes, no matter how nostalgic or meaningful a toy is to your kid, there comes a time when that toy has to go.  (Think Toy Story 3).  In which case, that toy is better handed down to another kid who'll find more use for it instead of it just sitting on the shelf collecting dust everyday.  Donate to an orphanage or a charity institution, etc.


5.  Do a little Googling and check toy manufacturer's policies regarding the eco-friendliness of their product.


6. Build your own eco-toy from trash.  Bring out the glue and colored paper and scissors and let kids think up of ingenious uses for milk cartons, egg cartons, that big box your printer came out of.

7. For electronic toys, buy rechargeable batteries and a charger instead of one-time-use-only disposable batteries.  Rechargeable batteries may cost higher but they pay for themselves in years, and you're also doing your bit for the environment.  Also, enlist your child's cooperating in turning the toy off when they're not playing with it.



So you see, it's not always a good eco-decision to buy the latest, most talked-about eco toy that comes out in the market.  Sometimes, a little restraint with a firm No can be good too.