The Issues with Plastic and Battery-Powered Toys
December 23, 2009
Christmas is coming, and many people are tempted to buy plastic, battery-operated toys for their children or grandchildren. After all, plastic is durable, safe, and colorful, right? And battery-operated toys with all their lights, noises and movement capture children’s attention, don’t they? Not quite. Let’s take a look at some of the potential – and established – hazards of plastic and/or battery-operated toys, and explore some of the alternatives.
Just What Is Meant by “Cost”?
Proponents of plastic toys often argue that they are so much more affordable. Such toys may cost fewer dollars at the checkout counter, but what about the less-visible cost to our health and environment? In a culture of immediacy, we tend to see anything that looks good and costs less as a good deal and the right choice. But it’s important to stop and think for a moment about the long-reaching effects of our consumer decisions. Here are some ways that plastic toys ultimately cost more.
* Recycling costs
The recycling of plastics is difficult, complicated, and expensive, and only some plastics are recyclable. Some plastics delivered to recycling centers are shipped to other countries to burn as fuel. Air pollution, anyone?
* Health costs
We all know that health care costs are astronomical these days, and the last thing we need are environment-induced illnesses to burden the health care system further. The plastics used in children’s toys can contain chemicals such as phthalates, dioxin, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which have been linked to a host of health problems from cancer to reproductive disorders. With breast cancer at near epidemic proportions, do plastics really “cost less”?
* Environmental costs
Batteries and plastics both have negative effects on the environment. Tons of batteries are thrown into landfills each year, where they release toxic metals into the environment (such as lead and mercury). And don’t think that most people recycle their children’s plastic toys; for one thing, many of them, such as PVC or vinyl, cannot be recycled. Many parents just throw away toys as they break or their children outgrow them. Then the dangerous plastics end up in landfills as well, leaching toxic chemicals into the environment.
What Are Some Good Alternatives to Plastic Toys?
* Wooden toys are becoming more widely available, and they are brightly colored and durable. You might steer clear of painted wood products made in China, not only due to the possibility of lead in the paint but also to encourage local toy makers.
* Safe plastics do exist, and are worth looking into. Look for numbers 1, 2, 4 and 5 on the universal recycling symbol printed on plastics. Items with these numbers are made with less/fewer toxic chemicals.
* Wind-up or kid-powered toys are an old-fashioned and delightful way to entertain the children in your life. Some of the toys that fit this description are old-fashioned metal wind-ups and metal, foot-pedal cars.
* Nature provides all kinds of toys in the form of sticks, rocks, leaves, and so forth. Spend some time outside and enjoy the free, natural toys all around you.
There are some nice handcrafted wooden toys on the market. It takes some digging around and they may cost a bit more money, but if you manage to find a toy that clicks with you kids, they will play with the toy for a long, long time.
Thanks, Eric. Please let us know if you find some good online stores for wooden toys. They’re great!
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Managing your debts is probably something that you keep putting off. It is pretty difficult to do when the creditors continue to call.
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Debt
Debt´s last [type] ..Dealing With Your Debts
Hi
There are some great wooden toys out there these days many of which are educational as well as fun.
But I also appreciate that there are familes out there that will not understand the imapct of buying plastic toys and look soley at the price, however there are many options for these used plastic toys, rather than them being put into landfill where they won’t degarde, why not recycle them by giving them to charity shops or hospitals that are crying out for toys for children, at least then they are being put to good use after they have past thier usefullness for your children and you are also doing something worthwhile.
Ian
http://www.squidoo.com/thomas-the-tank-engine-toys
Ian´s last [type] ..Thomas The Tank Engine Toys updated Fri Oct 15 2010 10-34 am CDT
I think wooden toys are so pretty and they last so long and there are so many educational really fun options! Plus I get so tired of replacing batteries!
Scarlet´s last [type] ..organicKidz Stainless Steel Baby Bottles Review and Giveaway
there are wooden toys that uses artificial wood which lasts longer compared to organic wood ~”~
I have to say that in years past I didn’t take these things into consideration. This year I really gave some thought to this when looking for gifts (I have finished my shopping already). The funny thing I noticed though, when looking for gifts for my 1 and 3 year olds (but especially the 1 yr old) that most of the toys are electronic! I actually had a hard time looking at regular toy stores for non electronic toys. I found some great wood toys on Amazon though and I am very happy to introduce more of these sorts of toys in my home : )
The Cloth Diaper Connection´s last [type] ..Diaper Rite Flats!
My son actually never really liked a lot of the remote-control toys. In fact my sister decided for some reason to buy him something I told her not to..a plastic toy car that could be controlled by remote. He used the remote one time and since then just uses the car with his hand to push about.
I have managed to avoid plastic toys a fair bit, but when I can’t I usually get them second-hand.
Marie´s last [type] ..Christmas Toy Expert – Official Top 10 Christmas Toys 2011
Parents should be more careful when choosing what kind of toy they would be buying for their children. There are some toys that contain hazardous chemicals that is why you should be able to learn more about this for you to have a wiser decision.