Plastic Free July - Week 3 challenge
Hi greenthumbs!
Welcome to week 3 of my Plastic Free July challenge! How did you go with reducing plastic straws last week?
This week, we’re going to get creative and upcycle our old plastic toys! This is a fantastic school holiday activity that you can do at home.
Most plastic toys aren't 'single-use plastics' as they can be used again and again. But they can still be a bit of a problem. Lots of plastic toys end up in the bin because they’re broken or they just don’t get played with anymore.
Most plastic toys can’t be recycled. So that means they end up in landfill.
But we can do something to help!
week 3 challenge: plastic toys
Your challenge for week 3 of Plastic Free July is to ‘upcycle’ one of your old toys into something new and save it from landfill! I’ve been talking to scrapboy and one of his favourite ways to upcycle old toys is to make a toy planter.
make a toy planter
You could make a prehistoric planter with your old dinosaurs. Or a fabulous flower truck with your old truck or bike!
Because the plastic in your toys might not be safe for food, these planters are best for growing things that you don’t eat, like succulents or flowers (non-edible flowers that is!).
Here are some of scrapboy’s favourite ideas!
five toy tips
Think about buying second-hand toys from charity shops, garage sales, or buy, swap and sell groups.
If you are giving a gift, you could choose to give something that isn’t a plastic toy. You could give some special seeds that you have collected, or a seedling that you have grown, or a bunch of herbs and flowers from your garden!
Try swapping or sharing toys with your friends. Or find out if there is a toy library in your area.
If you’re going to buy plastic toys, buy good quality toys that will last a long time.
Look for toys made from sustainable and eco-friendly products. Did you know some Lego is now made from sugarcane!
in other news
Did you see me on ABC News Weekend? I shared some cool ideas for things to do in the garden during the holidays … and I did an experiment LIVE ON AIR … it’s called the amazing lemon volcano.
Check it out!
Bye greenthumbs! See you next week for round 4 of our Plastic Free July Challenge!
