November 2nd, 2017
With a three-year-old daughter at home, it is fair to say that toys have gradually taken over my life during the past 36 months.
And after yet another agonising experience with a Lego brick wedged to the bottom of the foot, I have decided enough is enough.
At this stage, my daughter had outgrown most of the toys anyway and I find myself with a serious surplus, most of which are in perfect condition – bar the crushed logo pieces of course.
But it would be a shame to bin them or store them away so I have sought out family and friends who might want them for their own kids.
In spite of pulling out some of my best marketing skills, I still find myself on the receiving end of the polite rejection: ‘No thanks. I have the same problem myself!’ And we are not alone.
According to research by Repak each Irish child had an average 30 toys in 2016. This translates into a staggering 5.5 million toys in Ireland.
I am determined to avoid sending toys to landfill and want to protect the planet from breaking down yet more plastic, as I am sure most parents are.
Luckily, there appears to be a solution to our problem – AppyToy.
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The first of its kind in Ireland, the innovative and environmentally-friendly app puts you in touch with other parents, charities and businesses in your local area with whom you can swap, take or give up a toy.
You can use filters on the app, such as age of the child, description of the toy, or the community rating of the exchanger, to find the right exchange for you.
There’s no waste involved, no expense and you’ll declutter your home whilst making another child very happy.
Buying new toys can do serious damage to your bank account, and another great feature of the app is helps to keep costs to a minimum.
The app uses Appytoy points to exchange toys, according to Sharon Kirkpatrick who is the marketing manager behind the app.” To earn a point, you have to give away your toy”, she explained to The Green New. “Then you can spend your point by getting another toy from someone else.”
Users earn a point regardless of the size or original cost of the toy. Ms Kirkpatrick said this is because “small children do not have the concept of value [and] like all toys the same.”
A user doesn’t have any toys to give away, they can buy points from Appytoy for €1.99. “The more points you buy, the cheaper it is. For example, 5 points cost 5,99 Euro.” Ms Kirkpatrick added. Charities also get significant reductions for buying Appytoy points.
Shockingly, Appytoy’s preliminary research found that a shocking possible 99% of unused toys go to landfill or live a lonely life in the attic.
So, if you’re a parent like me, who wants to teach your child how to share, re-use and protect the planet, all while saving money and decluttering your home, I recommend you give the app a go.
You can download the app, or nag your friends and family with kids to download it here.
