Every year thousands of toys are thrown away. The challenge is enormous for the sector, which is just beginning to collect broken or abandoned dolls, figurines and games, mostly made of plastic. “We are starting from afar, but this is a real opportunity to start a virtuous circle, speed up some existing practices and achieve better control over the life of toys,” Judge Philippe Gueydon, president of the Federation of Toy and Product Specialists Trade. of the kids.
Like sporting goods and DIY, toys became an “Extended Producer Responsibility” (EPR) sector last January. According to this “polluter pays” principle, manufacturers, importers and distributors will begin in January 2023 to pay an ecological contribution for each toy brought into France: 23 million euros should therefore be collected next year.
to household waste
“Broadly speaking, we throw away 100,000 tons of waste” each year. “Half is found in household waste, around 45% is collected in public waste collection centers and less than 5% is reused,” summarizes Dominique Mignon, president of EcoMaison (ex-Eco-Mobilier) to AFP. , an organization that has been approved by the State to take charge of the collection, reuse and recycling of games and toys.
“Particularity” compared to other products, “between 72% and 75% of toys are made of plastic, with various types of resin; 20% paper-cardboard and 10% wood. But all these materials can be perfectly recycled “. we classify them”, points out Dominique Mignon.
In 2023, priority will be given to the installation of 6,000 collection points in the territory -waste collection centers, associations, schools, toy stores- and to a communication campaign to “tell the French to stop throwing their toys away and (rather) take them to a collection point to be reused if they are not excessively damaged – and if not take them to the recycling center.” One of the major objectives of the sector is to optimize the reuse (via donation or resale) of toys, tripling it by 2027 thanks to the involvement of collaborating associations.
often less solid
If they are not salvageable, the plastic toys will be separated by type of resin used and then “micronized” so they can be reinjected into new products: manufacturers “are very interested in studying this recycled plastic from 2023, in the outdoor games in particular”. “, emphasizes Dominique Mignon.
Recycled plastic materials are still rarely present in toys, due to their boring and therefore unfunny appearance, but also often because of their lower strength, while safety standards are particularly demanding for products intended for the children.
However, the French Federation of Childcare and Toy Industries, which represents manufacturers, believes its use is “poised to develop.” Its general manager, Christophe Drevet, evokes “first steps”, citing “Lego that presented its first brick in recycled material in 2021” and “Playmobil that launched its Wiltopia range made with recycled materials”.
Furthermore, with the scarcity of matter [plastique issu du pétrole]it is both an environmental option and an economic option” to use raw materials from recycling, according to him.
Wheat straw scooter
Globber, a scooter manufacturer that sells around 250,000 a year in France, will integrate recycled plastic into most of its models next year and even aims for 100% recycling by 2025. “The structure of a 3-wheeled children’s scooter is subject to a lot of mechanical stress and must support up to 50 kg. The first generations of recycled plastics did not meet these criteria, since this year, we have materials that meet them”, explains Pascal Chaillou, general manager of the brand.
In addition to recycled plastic, some Globber scooters will incorporate up to 10% wheat straw, or “the stalk left over after the grains are harvested.” “They are agricultural waste, which is also robust,” he says.
Source: BFM TV
