90% of children’s toys are still made using plastic, and in 2019 8.5 million toys went into landfill in the UK. As we know, plastic does not biodegrade and due to their makeup most plastic toys cannot be recycled. 

As well as avoiding plastic toys there are many benefits to avoiding battery operated toys too. Chemicals in batteries contaminate soil and water as they corrode which is reason enough to avoid batteries, but also non-battery-operated toys are more intellectually stimulating and enhance your child’s creativity and imagination. 

Here are some simple toy choices and switches which are more planet friendly: 

– Choose wooden toys: they’re durable, will last for generations and are biodegradable.

– LEGO: sometimes there’s no negotiating with your child and they just have to have it! Across the UK there are a number of specialty LEGO retailers, such as bricktraders.co.uk, buying and selling pre-loved bricks and sets. Lego, although made from plastic will last forever and no doubt be a staple toy (often stood on by parents!) in your house for many years to come. LEGO are also on a mission to create all of their bricks from sustainable products by 2030 and for all of their packaging to be made from renewable and recyclable materials by 2025. 

– Bikes: Young children often need a new bike every year, so instead of buying brand new why not opt for second hand. Due to how little time children spend on their bikes before they are outgrown, you can often pick up second hand bikes in great condition. A quick google search will find a ‘bike bank’ or ‘bike library’ near to you, second hand bikes shops or many local authorities also run projects to provide children with re-conditioned second hand bikes. Social media selling sites are often a great place to pick them up too.

– Buy second hand where you can – there will be many toys across the country that have only been played with a handful of times:  Ebay, Facebook marketplace, charity shops are great places to look for that perfect Birthday or Christmas present.

– Use ethical brands: brands and producers such as: bigjigstoys.co.uk, greentoys.co.uk, bebeco.co.uk only sell ethical and sustainable toys  

Arts and crafts 

We all know that kids love to get messy with crafting, but many crafting materials aren’t great for the planet, especially those made from plastic or including glitter. Here’s some ways you can make your crafting more sustainable:

• build up a crafting drawer of natural materials, each time you head out for a walk or use up some toilet roll, pop it in the drawer so that you’ve got some goodies ready to use next time your little one wants to get messy.
• Look for biodegradable paints and glues too.
• Avoid glitter and glitter glues – made from a combination of aluminium and plastic and almost impossible to recycle (I’m sure you’ll also be happier not finding glitter across the house for weeks to come too, an added bonus of getting rid of this non-planet friendly material) 

Here are some crafting ideas:

• Making bird feeders is not only a great way to keep your little ones entertained but also keeps your feathered friends happy too – an old yoghurt pot or recycled bottle, some seeds and suet is pretty much all you need – check out this guide from the RSPB.
• Toilet roll art – this household staple can be used to make anything from rockets to castles and fairy houses!
• Grow your own herbs or sunflowers – using old butter tubs or yoghurt pots to plant some wildlife friendly flowers for your garden
• Autumn leaves, sticks and pine cones make fantastic materials to design your very own autumnal masterpiece