toys Archives - Doing My Eco Best

Plastic

Plastic Free July Day 25 – 5 Plastic products that are easy to ditch

We’re approaching the finish line of Plastic Free July. In 34 degrees heat at 9.30pm I’ll try to break down the plastic we’ve found pretty easy to get rid of so far. Or at least, I will do if I don’t melt first. 5 plastic products that are easy to ditch 1. Squash bottles We […]

Decluttering

Toys

5 Ways We Got Rid of Kids’ Toys and Books Without Sending Them to Landfill

Kids are messy. About 60% of the time I spend have with the kids is spent tidying up after them. More stuff means more mess. So in an attempt to claw some time back from the never-ending cycle of tidying up, I went full Marie Kondo on the kids’ toys. When I’ve got rid of […]

Clothing

Consumerism

Decluttering

Is decluttering and creating zero waste possible?

I’ve jumped on the bandwagon and am now a Marie Kondo obsessive. Marie Kondo is a tidying expert from Japan who’s books have sold millions of copies and who now has her own show on Netflix. Her approach to decluttering involves keeping only what sparks joy. There’s no need to buy fancy storage or indeed […]

Consumerism

Is enough ever enough when it comes to consumerism?

The short answer is no. We’ve recently tried to limit the amount we spend after reading Your Money Or Your Life by Vicki Robin. Although we’ve not officially started her nine steps to financial freedom, we’ve certainly made a start in cutting down our spending. The ethos of the book is that by spending less […]

Crafts

Plastic

Toys

Wasteful Wilko Crafting

When you think of kids’ crafts, you might think of houses made from cereal boxes or rockets made from washing up bottles. But this Blue Peter fuelled utopia is no more. Now 99% of children’s craft products seem to be made of foam. Foam stickers in particular are prolific if every craft set, kids party […]

Toys

Could Fuzzy Felt be the oldest and most eco-friendly toy?

Ah, Fuzzy Felt, perhaps the most simple toy every made. It’s basically tiny bits of flimsy material that stick onto other flimsy bits of material to make a picture that resembles nothing like what’s on the front of the box. Back in the 80s I had a couple of Fuzzy Felt sets, and, partially because […]

Toys

Christ!(mas) – shopping is starting already

I’ve always loved Christmas. The cheesy songs, the actual cheese (though not this year again, sadly), the presents, the sense of magic. What I don’t like about Christmas is the mass consumerism and the near-desperation of brands that go all out the make you buy more stuff. This year we’ve made a decision to have […]

Toys

The Problem with Plastic Toys

I grew up in the 1980s in Bridlington, a North East seaside town full of amusements, tat shops and fish and chip shops. Amongst these seaside staples was Kirby’s Toyshop. Located on Chapel Street, a trip to this wonderful toy shop was a special event saved only for birthdays. The toys – Barbie, Lego, Sylvanian […]