Many parents today have a lot of concerns about the toys they give their children. With all the concerns and publicity about global warming and importance of conserving energy, socially conscience parents also want to buys toys that don’t have a negative impact on the environment. Finding Green Toys does not have to be an impossible task. We have done some research and found two companies that deserve a lot of credit in their efforts by creating environmentally friendly toys. Green Toys and Play toys have both taken going Green to a new level.

The best example of a Green Toys company is aptly names Green Toys. This new company has combined all aspects that parents look for when trying to find safe toys for their kids. The line currently only has 4 products but they are all winners. Their current collection includes a Sand Play Set, Cookware and Dining Set, Indoor Gardening Kit, and the soon to be released Tea Set. These toys are manufactured, assembled and tested in the USA so parents don’t need to worry about any potential risks associated with Chinese factories. Green Toys makes sure that their products contain no phthalates, BPA or lead, and that they meet FDA requirements for food contact.

Green Toys makes all their products from curbside collected plastic milk. These plastic containers are collected at your curb by a local recycling company, who then sorts them from all the other types of plastic. The milk containers are then reprocessed into super clean fresh plastic called high-density polyethylene (or HDPE). This material is considered one of the safest, cleanest plastics around.

The environmental mission of Green Toys also extends to their packaging. They strive to minimize packaging so all their boxes use as little material as possible. Green Toys only uses recycled corrugated boxes with no plastics, cellophane or twist-ties, and are 100% recyclable. Green toys tries to take every precaution to make sure that their products and packaging won’t end up adding to land fills.

Many parents today are looking for toys made in the USA and Green Toys is happy to oblige. Making toys in California has a lot of other added bonuses for parents and the environment. California is a state known for strict toy safety and environmental laws. This makes the toys that much safer for your children. Another added bonus is that transportation is one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gasses. By making toys in California a lot less fuel is used in the transportation of the toys before they get to shelves in your local store. Every step in the process, from milk container recycling to toy production to final assembly, occurs in California. This way the raw materials and toys are not shipped from overseas. This saves a lot of energy and thus reduces greenhouse gasses. Parents can feel good about buying products made by Green Toys. These American made toys are non-toxic, save energy, reduce landfill waste and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Although few companies have gone Green as well as the Green Toys company we highly recommend the products made by Plan Toys. This fantastic Thailand based toy company has initiated a Green Concept as part of its overall Mission Statement. Their efforts start with environmentally friendly materials. PlanToys® makes their href=”http://www.sensoryedge.com/plan-toys.html”>educational toys and products from clean, natural rubberwood. Rubber trees are used to create latex but once they can no longer be used for this purpose they are often cut for wood to make toys and furniture. Plan No fertilizer is added so that the wood stays chemical free. Moreover, to stabilize the wood, PlanToys® uses a time consuming chemical-free kiln drying process.

Many problems have been found in the glue and paints used in children’s toys. To circumvent this problem Play Toys assembles their products by using a proprietary non-formaldehyde glue instead of the traditional toxic wood glue. This proprietary glue is E-Zero which means it contains no Formaldehyde emission. They also use non-toxic, water based dyes to add accent colors to products instead of paint. This color contains no heavy metal elements such as lead or mercury.

In addition to keeping with their green concept PlanToys® uses recycled and recyclable material to minimize their impact on the environment. They also use soy ink & water based ink on printed materials. This ink decomposes faster than regular chemical ink and can be recycled more efficiently. PlanToys® integrates alternative energy, e.g. solar cell and biomass or wood scrap which can be used to generate energy for machinery that kiln- dry the wood and the paint. Every effort is made throughout the manufacturing process to make their toys safe for kids and the environment.

Better to recycle than dump old computers

People normally discard their outdated electronic equipment including obsolete computers. While the technology may have become obsolete, the computers and other electronic equipment may still be of use to others. If not, and disposal is inevitable, it’s better to recycle these computers recycling rather than just discarding them.

Vibrant Second hand market for old computers

It’s estimated that a person will keep their laptop for just 3 years before deciding to buy a new one. Cell phones, on the other hand, are generally replaced and disposed of within 24 months. Most electronic equipment including computers, printers, monitors and other peripherals can be refurbished, recycled or donated to schools and charities.

For some electronic equipment, there is second-hand market, particularly for items such as laptop computers, digital cameras and cell phones. These devices can be quickly sold off at considerable value.

The Electronics Industries Alliance (EIA)

The Electronics Industries Alliance (EIA) companies have created numerous programs which help in recycling computers and other electronic equipment. These programs are designed specifically to help people by giving back to the community and charities.

Many schools, charities, underprivileged citizen groups and church programs benefit from these programs. They help both the environment and the community. You can also receive tax benefits when old computers are donated to charities or such programs. To find out more about charities that need old but functional computers, search the Internet or inquire about them at your local county offices.

Many computer parts can be recycled

Many parts of computers can be recycled and used in other products. Theses companies will recycle the glass, plastic and metals and use them for their next generation of equipment. This helps them to lower their manufacturing costs as well. Its time that people become responsible and accountable for their actions, especially when it comes to computer recycling.

It’s very important that people recycle their electronic and computer equipment, rather than just dispose of these devices in a land fill. Many of the computer parts include toxic substances such as mercury and lead which can leach into underground water supplies.

When these elements leak from the computer and enter the land fill, it can have dangerous consequences for the environment. These elements can usually be recycled instead of just discarded.

Strict guidelines by lawmakers are becoming more common

Many of the EIA companies follow strict guidelines which have been laid down, to ensure that computer equipment causes minimal damage to the environment. Nevertheless, there are still many companies that are lax about recycling computers and electronics devices. They also outsource the recycling to countries where the laws for recycling aren’t as stringent as they are in the states.

As state lawmakers and government become more and more aware of possible damage to the environment, they are enacting laws that are very specific and stringent about recycling and these directly relate to the disposal of electronic equipment and the hazardous materials that they contain. There are also many bans in effect, especially for equipment that contains mercury or lead. The European Union has also enacted new laws concerning computer recycling.