BIG W Warringah, in partnership with TerraCycle, today launched Toys for Joy – a first of its kind toy recycling program that provides Australian families with a sustainable solution for recycling their children’s pre-loved toys. After a successful trial in BIG W Warringah earlier this year, the program is returning and will be available in 41 stores across Australia from Thursday 21 October, with the ambition to introduce the program to every BIG W store by the end of 2022.
With Australia generating 75.8 million tonnes of waste in 2018-19, up 10 per cent on the previous two years, the initiative aims to reduce the number of toys that could find their way into landfill by giving toys no longer played with, a new lease on life. Terracycle will recycle the toys to help create new play equipment in communities that need it most.
According to John Tatton, BIG W Warringah Mall store manager: “At BIG W we care about Australian families of today and tomorrow, but we know that just as families grow, children grow out of their toys and with no option to recycle them, they often end up in landfill.”
Toys for Joy means Northern Beaches locals can drop off their pre-loved toys to be recycled, giving them a new lease of life. TerrayCycle will then sort, clean and process the toys into a usable material such as helping to make play equipment for children in need.
Jean Bailliard, General Manager of TerraCycle Australia has praised BIG W for providing an in-store recycling solution for toys in Australia: “The majority of toys aren’t kerbside recyclable and end up in landfill because they’re made up of complex materials like metal, rubber and a variety of plastics. It’s incredible to see BIG W take on the recycling for all brands of toys and they have now expanded their program to 41 stores to make it even more accessible for Australians.”.
Simply drop pre-loved toys into the purpose built Toys for Joy recycling stations which can be found at the front of participating stores, noting BIG W can not accept play dough, wooden toys, boardgames, or oversized toys such as bikes, scooters or skateboards.
For more information and to find participating stores, visit www.bigw.com.au/toys-for-joy
