Category: Consumption

How to buy better toys for kids – and stop buying them things they don’t need

untidy purple, red and pink plastic children's toys on a white background

Children aren’t born with impulse control, and million-dollar marketing budgets and peer pressure are often too much for them. You end up buying them toys they play with once or twice, and then you store them for years before they go to charity or landfill. We’re not saying don’t buy them any toys – we all need some joy in our lives – but buying less and better quality is the way to go. So here’s how to buy better toys for kids, and some strategies to avoid buying them things they really don’t need.

How can I avoid buying my kids plastic junk and things they don’t need?

Here are some strategies which may or may not work, depending on the child and your own willingness to accept tantrums.

  • If they’re watching TV, steer younger children towards CBeebies, CBBC and subscription services, rather than channels like Nickelodeon that advertise relentlessly.
  • Be aware that YouTube Kids still has adverts – it’s only ad-free if you pay for the premium version.
  • Teach self-control. Ask them whether they really need whatever it is they’re pestering you for, and lead them to the right answer.
  • Explain the effect that plastic waste has on the environment.
  • Take a photo of them with the thing they want. Tell them it’s so they can remember which one they wanted when pocket money day/birthday/Christmas comes around. This may be enough to distract them and satisfy them at the time, plus it teaches delayed gratification. Make sure you keep your promise and go through the photos with them before the next big event to see what they still want.
  • Explain that you haven’t got money in the budget for whatever it is right now, but maybe they should put it on their birthday/Christmas list.
  • Offer to pay half, if they earn the money for the other half (this teaches them the value of money and ensures they only buy it if they really want it).
  • If all else fails, just say no and ride out the tantrum.
  • Avoid filling party bags with cheap plastic that will get thrown away. Sweets are a good substitute that won’t leave the guests feeling cheated.

How can I buy better toys?

  • When you agree to buy, buy good quality toys that can be donated or passed on when your children are older (like Playmobil and Lego).
  • Avoid cheap knock-offs that are more likely to break, or are secretly embarrassing to your child, and therefore won’t get used.
  • Encourage children to choose toys that relate to active or creative hobbies, like sports, crafts, or making things.
  • Encourage children to make their own play environments for their dolls or animals. Houses, villages, rockets or battle sites can be made out of cardboard boxes, paper-mâché, discarded plastic tubs, and paint. They won’t necessarily last very long, but the fun is in the making as well as the playing.
  • For younger children, buy wooden versions of toys (e.g. blocks, farm animals, cars, or play-food).
  • Join local Facebook groups where people give away or swap items. These are great for picking up toddler bikes, sandpits, and toys like Bob the Builder or My Little Pony (which each child can love for a couple of years before passing on to the next one).
  • Avoid toys that get boring quickly because they only do one thing, e.g. playdough shaping machines.

Good luck.

Image credit: photo by Taylor Heery on Unsplash

Categories: Uncategorized, Children, Consumption

How to take climate action – live minimally

minimalist white living room with wooden floor, yellow chair and modern art

Well-made, purposefully chosen, useful things are at the heart of the minimalist movement, which ties in well with the green movement.

Living minimally is about:

  • clearing out what’s holding you back
  • appreciating the things you’ve chosen to keep
  • only choosing to buy things you really need

Why live minimally?

Buying less, but better quality, helps the Earth’s resources go further and reduces transport and manufacturing emissions. In the long run, it should also save money too.

Simply having less “stuff” frees up space, so there is room to do the things that are more important to us – like having people over, a place to enjoy a hobby, space to work from home, or simply a quiet area to ourselves.

How to use green motivation to overcome your hoarding instinct

Moving towards minimalism can be challenging for some of us.

Maybe we hang on to things because:

  • we might need them again one day
  • money has been tight in the past, or is tight now
  • we don’t want to waste money buying a replacement
  • we don’t want to waste resources buying something a second time
  • we hoard things we wish we had time to do, e.g. hobbies we want to take up, or that we used to enjoy
  • we hoard things because of the memories they hold
  • we haven’t got time to get rid of them in a sustainable way

I’m guilty of literally all of those things.

Here’s how to fight those thoughts that hold us back.

“I might need it again one day”

Well, someone else needs it right now. Give it to them via Freegle or Freecycle, sell it on eBay, donate it to a “Library of Things” or a charity shop. If you ever find yourself needing it again, ask on the same sites, or borrow it from a friend or a Library of Things.

“I don’t want to waste money on a replacement” or “I’m worried I won’t be able to afford a replacement”

This one is particularly hard if money is scarce, or has been scarce in the past.

Ask yourself how many times you’ve used the object in the last five years, and how many of them you own, before deciding whether or not to part with it. For example, I had five inflatable mattresses from the days when my children often had sleepovers. They used to be essential, but they aren’t any more. Someone else will enjoy them more now.

“I don’t want to waste resources buying something a second time”

Someone else needs it right now, and resources are already being used to make theirs.

Maybe you’ll never need it again anyway, and if you do, you might be able to get it second-hand. If you really don’t want to let it go, you could loan it to a “Library of Things”.

Remember, if you have to buy it again in the future, the total amount of resources used is no worse than if “someone else” had bought it now. And by the time you need it again, there may be a more environmentally-friendly alternative available.

“I’m saving it for when I have time to use it”

If you can see that time is coming soon, by all means keep it, and enjoy it when the time comes.

But if you can’t see yourself having time in the future, it’s time to ask yourself some questions about your priorities. Maybe that new hobby isn’t that important to you after all? If so, give the kit away or sell it.

Or maybe it is important to you, but you have too many responsibilities. Ask for help, or resign from community roles that aren’t so important to you any more. Remember, everyone deserves a break.

“I’m keeping it because it reminds me of…”

I’m certainly not going to encourage you to get rid of something that means a lot to you.

But consider whether a photograph of the object might hold the memory for you just as well, or whether the object could be turned into something more useful or decorative? For example, have a blanket or cushion made from meaningful fabric; a piece of art made from special greetings cards; or display photos of children’s artwork shuffled on a screensaver, instead of hidden away in boxes where you never see them.

“I haven’t got time to get rid of them in a sustainable way”

You don’t have to do it all at once. Try choosing one thing a day, and put it in a box labelled “charity shop”, “Vinted”, “recycling centre” or “metal for the scrap yard” (or wherever you want it to go). If it helps, keep a list of what you’ve got rid of so you can see your progress. If you feel in the mood, do a whole area (like a drawer, or a Difficult Box). Don’t expect to ever find the time to do a Whole Room in one go. That won’t happen.

Ask other people to help. Maybe your partner doesn’t feel qualified to decide what stays or goes, but they’d be happy to take your sorted boxes to their destinations. Tech-savvy and responsible teens could do a great job of selling your stuff on Vinted or Depop. Your mum or friend might take a bag to the charity shop next time they go to town.

Put things on your local Facebook free stuff groups. For very little of your own effort, people will come and take things away.

Always remember why you’re doing it, and it will become easier as you get rid of things and start to see progress.

Good luck!

Photo credit: Kam Idris on Unsplash

Categories: Consumption, High impact, In Lockdown

Reduce, reuse, recycle is dead – here’s how to make a difference

rubbish trash littering a tropical beach

What’s wrong with reduce, reuse, recycle?

Reduce, reuse, recycle… it’s been drummed into us since the 70s. But that old mantra sounds a bit hollow now we’ve learned what some unethical companies are doing with our carefully-separated recyclables.

Containers full of recyclable material are shipped overseas, but once they arrive there’s no guarantee that they will actually be recycled. Our plastic waste ends up on beaches, in rivers, in landfills, or could be incinerated. Burning plastic releases toxic gases which can harm the health of the people living nearby.

So while recycling is good in principle, we can’t just ship it abroad and forget about it. The problem with “reduce, reuse, recycle” is we’ve been focusing too much on the “recycle” bit, forgetting that by far the most important bit is “reducing”, i.e. not causing the plastic to be used in the first place.

How can I reduce plastic use?

We need to make plastic reduction central to every decision at work and home. Some good places to start are:

  • Buy less stuff, particularly stuff packaged in plastic
  • At work, look for opportunities to reduce plastic in your products and packaging. Your one decision at work could have the same impact as thousands of individual consumers reaching the same decision
  • Buy loose ingredients from a zero-waste shop, and cook from scratch
  • Use bamboo, jute or organic cotton shopping bags instead of either single-use or plastic bags-for-life
  • Use beeswax wraps instead of cling film or sandwich bags
  • Stop buying plastic junk, e.g. for presents, or for children
  • Use bamboo or closed-loop recycling toothbrush heads instead of plastic toothbrushes
  • Use re-usable sanitary products
  • Make your own sandwiches and coffee. Wrap your sandwiches in a beeswax wrap and put them in a tin. Carry your coffee in a reusable bamboo cup
  • Avoid plastic promotional giveaways, both as a giver and a receiver

There are probably thousands of different alternatives to everyday products available – we’ve listed our favourite eco-friendly swaps here.

But success lies in a change of mindset.

  • Buy less
  • Buy better
  • Avoid plastic in as many purchases as possible
  • Learn to repair what’s broken
  • Borrow
  • Lend
  • Give things away
  • Think “second-hand first”

Photo credit: Dustan Woodhouse on Unsplash

Categories: All actions, Consumption, High impact, Waste

Think “second-hand first” – how to save money with second-hand and reuse websites

screenshot of listings on second hand clothing website depop

Why use second-hand and reuse websites?

Fashion waste is a huge problem, with waste occurring during manufacture, processing, transport, disposal of unsold stock and the quick discarding of fast fashion items.

According to Edge Fashion Intelligence, 94 million kg (208 million lb) of waste was generated from single-use outfits in 2019, and 64% of the 32 billion garments produced each year end up in landfill.

So whether you need something or don’t need something anymore, websites like eBay, Poshmark, Depop, Vinted, Freegle and Freecycle help keep stuff out of landfill and money in your pocket.

Facebook groups, Gumtree and Craigslist are also great ways to list or acquire things locally, with the benefit that you can easily collect them and don’t have to pay postage costs.

What are the best second-hand and reuse websites?

eBay

You’ve probably heard of eBay, the online auction and marketplace where you can buy or sell almost anything. It’s a great way to buy, or move on, second-hand clothes, household goods, and unwanted gifts.

It’s also a great way to find out what something’s worth. If you have some weird old collectables or vintage items, they might be worth a lot to someone else.

You need to create an account to buy or sell. Some items are offered as auctions, and others have a “buy it now” price. The price you offer to buy at is the price you pay, plus postage depending on your dispatch method.

As a private, low-volume seller, a basic listing is free – but eBay deducts a fee of 12.8% + 30p* before you get your money. However, there are lots of paid add-on services to help your item stand out, and a few weird quirks, for example, if you’re selling trainers.

Poshmark, Depop & Vinted

Poshmark, Depop and Vinted specialise in peer-to-peer sales of second-hand clothing, jewellery, shoes and homewares (i.e. people selling to other people). While some sellers take it very seriously, curating collections and wardrobes for their followers, the majority of sellers are just looking to make a little bit of money back when they clear out their wardrobes. It’s possible to pick up items from just a few pounds up to hundreds for second-hand designer items.

Vinted

You need to create an account to buy or sell on Vinted. Sellers can bundle items together and give buyers a discount for buying multiple items.
With Vinted, the price you see listed is what the seller gets. Vinted adds a fee of 70p + 5%*, and then you choose your postage method, which adds another couple of pounds. So while everything looks like a bargain, be prepared to pay a couple more pounds than the price you originally see.

Depop

You need to create an account to buy or sell on Depop.
As a buyer, you pay the price you see, plus postage depending on the method you choose.
Depop charges sellers 10% of the total sale price* (including 10% of the postage), then PayPal or Depop Payments charge around 3% + 30p* as well.

Poshmark

Poshmark is marketed as the site for higher-value items.
You need to create an account to buy or sell on Poshmark.
As a buyer, you pay the price you see, plus postage, which starts at $7.67 for items weighing 5 lb or less*.
Poshmark charges sellers $2.95 for items under $15*. For items costing $15 or more, it’s 20% of the total*.

Freegle and Freecycle

Try Freegle and Freecycle for stuff that’s too bulky to post, or too tatty to sell, but still has plenty of use left in it. Everything is free.

You can list things you just want taken off your hands, or pick up items for nothing, in your local area. It really is worth a try; I’ve given away stuff I thought no one would ever want, like a really ugly concrete bird bath that came with our house; the people who collected it thought it was great.

Freegle and Freecycle are great for larger items or things that charity shops don’t want, perhaps because they’re a bit tatty or broken.

So if you need, or want to get rid of, 3 yards of used chicken wire, a well-used sofa or an aloe vera plant… just post an advert, and someone may help you out.

Click here to find your nearest Freecycle group

Or here to find your nearest Freegle group.

Facebook, Gumtree and Craigslist

Like classified ads in local newspapers, you can also give away, sell or pick up items on local Facebook groups, Gumtree and Craigslist.

However you choose to do it, you’re keeping things out of landfill and helping to build a community of people who reject the throw-away culture.

*Fees quoted are correct as at March 2023.

Image credit:
Screenshot by the author

Categories: All actions, Community & action, Consumption, Free, Saves money, Waste