Toy Tidy Up: A Call to Action
As a mother of two young boys, I am intimately familiar with the overwhelming clutter of toys that quickly accumulate in our homes.
After the holiday season with birthdays just months away, I found myself staring at a wheelie bin filled almost two-thirds with discarded toys. This eye-opening experience prompted me to reevaluate our family’s gifting habits and ignited a passion to minimize unnecessary items entering our home.
But this issue extends far beyond personal inconvenience; it’s a pressing environmental concern that demands our attention. In Australia alone, more than 51% of purchased toys end up in landfill within less than 12 months of purchase. This staggering statistic contributes significantly to waste generation and poses a threat to our environment.
The Facts Speak Loudly:
- 90% of toys are made of plastic, with 80% ending up in landfill.
- Over 26 million toys are thrown away in Australia each year.
- The Toy & Games Market is worth $1.5 billion annually.
- For every $25 in toy revenues, 1 kilogram of plastic is produced.
We urgently need to raise awareness about this issue. Within the past 12 months, our family have had two play toys explode within days, another remote-control monster truck that lasted less than a week, and similar tales we hear all too often from fellow parents.
Our best toy gifts for our children have ended up being those more durable high quality that we pick up pre-loved.
Manufacturers and retailers must consider the lifecycle of their products and embrace sustainable practices such as recycling programs or producing and stocking longer-lasting toys. Additionally, parents, families, and friends must become conscious consumers and gifters, considering not only what they buy but also how long those purchases will last.
Together, we can work towards reducing toy clutter in our homes for the sake of our mental health, cleaner living spaces, and the preservation of our environment for future generations. Let’s remember, we’ll always be our child’s favorite toy!
Ways You Can Help:
- Choose quality over quantity when selecting toys.
- Explore toy trade, pre-loved options, or toy libraries.
- Recycle or upcycle toys whenever possible.
- Choose to gift experience gifts.
- Share this petition with your network to amplify our message.
Please sign this petition if you believe in making changes towards reducing toy waste in Australia.
Interested to explore and discuss ‘How Big Our Toy Waste Problem’ is with your children? Download our infographic here.
