Wednesday 31 March 2021

Why we need to replace Plastic Toys for Green Environment

In our 3rd post of #EnvironmentalTalks of #CauseAChatter, we will bring your focus on the toys that are an integral part of every household. According to the statistics, 70% of the toys are made of plastic and most of them are not one-time-use plastic that means toys are manufactured with materials that are difficult to recycle. Have you ever thought of recycling the toys or what happens when we discard the plastic toys and did you ever ponder upon the old plastic toys and their effects on children? 

Let us take a closer look at toys and their effect on the environment and how we can make the environment better with few changes.

Toys & their production:

Toys are produced in large numbers but India produces only 0.5% of the toys in the toy industry whereas China produces 80% of the toys in the world. The majority of the toys are plastic made and the life of it depends on the nature of the plastic and the usage of it.


Check the age of plastic toys:

We often keep toys of the elder child for the younger one and plastic toys are easy to handle and care additionally the colors don’t fade and they look as new once washed. But the older the plastic toys more harmful for your child. Earlier production of plastic toys did not go through vigorous checks on the quality of the plastic and it affects a child’s health once the child chews it. So discard all the older plastic toys which are 5-7 years older and it is good if they can be recycled.


Why NO to the plastic toys:

Sooner or later each toy is discarded from home either in the garbage or donated to other people. If the toy lands in the landfill it is difficult to dispose of the toy as every plastic recyclable point is different. The harder the plastic the longer its life and the harder it to dispose of it off.


Increases plastic pollution.

Less number of One-time plastic use toys.

Hard plastic contains a higher plastic ratio and difficult to dispose

Every toy lands in a landfill.


This means we say no to games to the children or do not have a colorful partner in the play area. Not, we do have a replacement for the plastic toys.


Replacement of plastic toys:

Toys are an integral part of every household and children enjoy the company of toys and cherish those moments for life. We can select biodegradable toys, wooden toys, board games made of paper.

Wooden toys have always added charm to the toy shelf with their vibrant colors and longevity.

Board games are easy to store and can be piled on the shelf too, besides they don’t take huge space.

Games that can be played without any toys can also be encouraged such as dumb sharads, guess who. You can check more interesting spoken games.


PM Message for the Toy Industry

In the latest episode of Mann ki Baat, PM Narendra Modi focused on the toys industry and also requested the nation to pitch in for local toys. He also urged the manufactures to make toys without plastic and toys that are not harmful to the environment. India is not leading in the toy industry and he asks manufacturers to focus on the toys that exhibit great Indian stories and culture. Wooden toys made a special mark in the speech too. You can hear the message on Toys in this YouTube video message.


 

 Companies are looking for a change in the toy industry :

Many companies are now very much aware of plastic pollution and have manufacturing units that focus on toys and games that are made up of non-plastic. Wooden toys and paper games are more appreciated by the people who want to have a contribution to save the environment from plastic.

One company that is based on this notion is Toysrep.


The unique notion of Toysrep:

Toysrep, the company focuses on the repair of plastic toys and electronic toys that needs repair. These toys are expensive and little repair can increase the shelf life of these toys, but generally, we don’t find any service or company that does so. The founder of the company Anshu Sharma is a keen environmentalist and pledges to work towards the betterment of the environment by repairing the toys. She believes we all can solve problems in the environment. She also runs awareness programs in schools and explaining them in detail about its genetics and its effects on our environment and how each of us can contribute to reducing the use of plastics in our daily lives.


Can we make a small change in our life and share our contribution towards saving the planet? 

Replacing plastic toys with another toys can make a huge difference in coming years. We will be looking for replacement of plastic toys slowly as each step taken towards greener environment makes a difference.


@MeenalSonal

22 comments:

  1. Very responsible post. I do not like the plastic toys too and I am trying to get rid of plastic as well. Its important now for our environment and a small step can make a big impact.

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  2. Totally agree on.ghe harmful effects caused by plastic toys. I'm happy that my kids are slowly being transitioned to non plastic toys

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  3. Plastic toys are the biggest menace after the electronic dump, articles like these are important for generating awareness and making people more aware of the environmental crisis. Board games and wooden toys are definitely a good replacement.Also, group games should be pushed more to develop the social skills among the kids.

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  4. Indeed! With growing environmental concerns surrounding the use of plastic we should stop buying plastic toys. Thanks for sharing this article

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  5. You are so right. We need to use sustainable materials in toys as well. Rural India still relies on homemade toys. I will check out toysrep too.

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  6. Great initiative by Anshu Sharma. She is driving both awareness and action through toysrep, creating positive impact.

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  7. We need to really phase out plastic to ensure sustainability of our planet.When it comes to toys, it is critical that plastic toys are phased out and sustainable, environment-frienndly toys are used more and more.

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  8. You are right and I think it's high time to rethink about all these plastic related stuff like toys too. Let's support local and use the homemade toys which can be sustainable too.

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  9. Indeed plastic toys are not good. Great to know about a company that focuses on repairing these so they can be used longer instead of buying more. I find toys crafted to be a better alternative.

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  10. Absolutely wonderful thought. I have been investing more and more on wooden toys for my daughter.

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  11. I am always up for wooden toys. Plastic toys may look fancy but they are a big no no from environment point of view and also from our health point of view.

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  12. In fact a main reason for throwing away toys is that they become damaged or dysfunctional. With Toysrep we can treasure the toys for much longer and pass them on too.

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  13. Thanks so much. Brings and important point to light. Also the concept of toyrep is so fascinating. Never thought of you repair even though many toys are pretty expensive

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  14. I have only once bought Plastic toys myself.The Lego blocks.The important part about reusing and recycling can help us get rid of plastic in a responsible manner

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  15. I had no clue about toysrep buddy, thanks a lot for letting us kow about it, wooden toys too should be in

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  16. We also prefer replacing plastic toys for kids and encourage them to demand less for plastic things. I loved this post!!

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  17. I have discarded many of my kids' toys because they were no longer functional. Had I know about a firm that provide repair service, I would have surely opttes this option then. But now I can recommend it to my loves ones

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  18. Plastic toys are indeed a grave environmental concern. I avoid plastic toys unless they are made of good and safe grade plastic and more so stick to metal or wooden toys. If I feel the quality is not upto the mark of the plastic I dnt buy it for safety reasons.

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  19. The idea behind Toysrep is revolutionary. The thought of repairing the toys has never come to anyones mind. Hats off to Toysrep for this idea and thanks to you for sharing this post.

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  20. Plastic indeed is hazardous and takes years and years still does not become one with nature infact spoils the natural elements. So yes I agree we should replace plastic toys for our mother earth

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  21. Absolutely plastic can be cut or reduce use of it as much as we can. It has hurt our environment a lot

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  22. Nice Blog, I found amazing information in your blog. Keep it up China Toy manufacturer

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