Are Plastic Toys an Enemy of the Environment?

Toys have become a need of every child. Children have great affection for toys. There is not a single child who doesn’t like toys. Some like dolls, doll houses, and teddy bears, while others like car toys, puzzles, construction, or animal toys. The preference is different, but the love for toys is present in every child.

As the demand for toys is very high, so is the production of toys. Countless industries are making these toys.

What is the material used for making these toys?

You can use cardboard to make puzzles, Ludo board, etc. which can be recycled. Some toys are made by using fabric and cotton e.g. teddies and many other stuffed toys. But most of the toys are made using plastic. I don’t think there is anybody who doesn’t know that industries use plastic to make most toys. Industries use tons of plastic. This plastic is non-biodegradable, which means you cannot recycle it easily. It increases world pollution.

Types of Toys Based On Materials Used

Fabric Toys

For making teddies, animal or cartoon characters, and many other stuffed toys, the fabric is consumed. The outer part is of fabric and the inner part is cotton and wool. These kinds of toys are easy to recycle because the wool of such toys can be used to make many other things like pillows or some other toys.

Cardboard Toys

You can make puzzles and Ludo boards using cardboard. It is easy to recycle and reuse. Cardboard toys are eco-friendly because their material is biodegradable.

Chemical Toys

Some toys like nipples and baby bottles are plastic which has chemicals to disrupt the hormone system of babies. Children usually chew these toys. These kinds of toys are harmful to the health of children.

Plastic Toys

A large portion of toys like plastic dolls, cars, construction toys, doll houses, doll kitchens, molding building blocks, cartoon characters, etc. is plastic. The plastic is usually PVC, polycarbonate PC, and polyester PET. You cannot recycle this plastic. It not only increases pollution of the environment but also occupies a large portion of the earth.

Disadvantages of plastic toys

Toys are dangerous for the environment because of the following reasons:

Harmful chemicals

Keeping aside the fact that toys are the love of children, it is not wrong to say that toys are the enemy of the environment. They are not only harmful to the environment but also harm children’s health. When children chew these toys, the harmful chemical of PVC plastic enters the body. It causes many health issues.

Plasticizers

Manufacturers add plasticizers like phthalates and adipates to make plastic brittle. Plasticizers are dangerous because there are chances of leakage.

Incineration

Toys end either in the soil, where they incinerate and release harmful toxins. Or people throw them in the sea. It compromises the health of sea life too. The incineration of plastic toys adds dioxins to the environment. Dioxins are harmful to humans because they cause diabetes and digestive disorders. Animals are not immune because these dioxins cause birth difficulties in animals and weaken the immune system. It will eventually lead to the extinction of animals.

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Source of Carbon

Whenever toys are manufactured in industry, carbon is added to the environment and increases global warming. Plastic toy manufacturers are contributors to climate change.

Plastic was never good for the environment because it is a source of pollution. Plastic is harmful to, soil, the sea, the air, humans, and children.

Long-Term Survival Mode

Plastic material survives longer than other materials. As plastic is a non-biodegradable material, therefore, it lasts longer. It can last approximately a decade.

Is There Any Possible Solution?

If you want to make the environment clean and friendly, then all you need to do is focus on the following points:

Sustainable Toys

Industries should focus on alternatives to plastic toys. It is possible when you use rubber wood toys instead of plastic. Rubberwood comes from rubber trees. You can make furniture and flooring too with rubber trees. If you don’t aim to increase pollution and disturb nature, then you should buy sustainable toys.

Examples

Toys of wood, cotton, stainless steel, etc. Dolls, teddies, and other stuffed toys knitted using fabric are sustainable. Other examples include wood figurines, dollhouses as well as other toys like wood trucks.

Second-Hand Toys

You can buy second-hand toys from stores or online websites. If you don’t want to buy second-hand toys, then you can donate them or sell them. Try your best to recycle and reuse them before throwing them out just because your kids have grown.

While buying second-hand toys make sure that the toy you are buying is suitable for current standards.

Eco-Friendly Packaging

Packaging is a major contributor to destroying the environment. Every industry packs, represent, and delivers its products in packaging boxes. Reducing wasteful packaging and using eco-friendly wholesale Toy Boxes can help in minimizing pollution. Ecofriendly boxes are easy to recycle and reuse. They are made of biodegradable materials. Eco-friendly packaging can make your product sustainable.

Conclusion

Plastic toys do more harm than good. They add lethal toxins to the environment that are dangerous for humans as well as animals. Everybody should prefer sustainable toys packed in environmentally friendly packaging rather than plastic packaging to improve the climate.