Smarter Toy Choices for a Greener World
Help students explore eco-friendly ways to reduce toy waste this Earth Day. Learn how swapping, donating, and recycling toys can cut plastic pollution.
With Earth Day (April 22) just around the corner, and spring cleaning going into full force, let’s think about how we can help make the world greener by what we do with our toys when we are finished playing with them.
Let’s start with some facts. Did you know … ?
- Toys make up about 6 percent of all plastic waste in landfills worldwide (Yale Environment Review, 2023)
- The average family throws away around 70 pounds of toys each year (Ballard Bear, 2024).
- In the United States, about 80 percent of toys end up in landfills, incinerators or the ocean after a short period of use (Ballard Bear, 2024).
Pause and ask students: What can we do with toys instead of throwing them away?
List students' responses on the board, then share out the options below.
Three Smarter Toy Solutions
1. Swap or Trade with Friends
You can organize a toy swap at school or in your neighborhood, where you trade toys you no longer use for “new-to-you” ones. This simple solution helps reduce waste while giving toys a second life.
2. Donate
You can give gently used toys to charities, shelters, thrift stores, hospitals, day care centers, local donation centers or to consignment programs like https://toycycle.co/. Not only does this keep toys out of the landfill, it also can help families and organizations that might not have been able to afford those toys otherwise.
3. Recycle (for Toys at End of Life)
Although most toys today are made from mixed plastics, metals and electronics that make them difficult to recycle through regular curbside programs, you can still recycle toys through different programs like TerraCycle that specialize in hard-to-recycle items. The materials in the toys are broken down and turned into new products that people can use.
Optional: Have students watch this “Good Morning America” clip until 2:28 that shows how TerraCycle is recycling toys.
Pause and ask students:Why is it important to find alternatives to throwing away unwanted or broken toys? (Possible answers: reduces plastic pollution in landfills and oceans, saves resources by reusing materials, helps other families access toys at low or no cost, encourages responsible consumption habits early in life, etc.)
Discussion Questions
- What do you usually do with toys you no longer use?
- Why do you think so many toys end up in landfills?
- How could your class or community reduce toy waste?
- Should companies be responsible for making toys easier to recycle?
(Optional Extension) Classroom Activities
- Toy Audit Activity - students list or draw toys they no longer use and decide whether to swap, donate or recycle.
- Host a Classroom Toy Swap - students bring in gently used toys and exchange them.
- Design a Sustainable Toy - students create a toy concept made from recyclable or eco-friendly materials.
- Persuasive Writing - write a letter to a toy company suggesting ways to make toys more sustainable.
Toys bring joy, creativity and learning—but they also come with an environmental responsibility. By choosing to swap, donate or recycle, we can reduce waste and make a positive impact on the planet.
Celebrating Earth Day and Arbor Day
Celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day with these engaging preK–12 lesson plans, activities, and classroom resources. Help your students explore environmental education topics and discover meaningful ways they can take action in their community to build a healthier, more sustainable planet.
Megan Ortmeyer is an SML Team Member and has worked in the AFT Educational Issues Department since fall 2018. She received her M.A. in education policy studies in May 2020 from the Graduate School of Education and Human Development at the George Washington University. Prior to working at the AFT,... See More
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