Plastic, Not So Fantastic

A plastic filled world

Today we live in a plastic filled world, almost everything you see now is made from plastic. Plastic furniture, plastic in our cars, plastic toys, plastic in our clothes, plastic takeaway kitchenware, plastic, plastic, plastic. You catch my drift.

Have you looked around at all the toy stores lately. Everything is made of cheap plastic that isn’t designed to last long. It is flimsy and cheap looking. Now look in the kids’ bedrooms and play areas. Do you see the same thing? When it comes to your kids’ birthdays, I bet your kids are given so many toys and I guarantee you they are mostly made of this cheap plastic. It lasts maybe a year and then you have to throw it away because it has broken. We have become a throwaway society.

What if you could reduce your plastic usage? What if there were alternatives? Hang on, there are. What do you think people did before plastic was created? They used wood, glass, metal, fabrics and natural fibres that they could grow. They didn’t throw things away after one use and everything lasted much longer. Have you ever heard of the 100-year-old light bulb? Look it up. When you visit a vintage store, you can find so many amazing items that have stood the test of time. Do you think you will find many quality items from this era in the vintage store in the future? Probably not.

The plastic free alternative

So, let’s get back to the subject of plastic toys. I am getting side-tracked here. It is possible to find toys that are plastic free. That are made from naturally source sustainable materials. Your kids’ toys do not have to cost the earth…. Literally.

One of my personal favourite online kids’ toy stores is called Juni Moon. From felt food play, to kids’ rattan furniture, your kids will have a ball playing make believe. As a fruit and veg shop they could be selling fresh felt produce, an ice-cream store with some yummy colourful flavoured ice-cream cones and chocolate fudge Sundays, or a French bakery selling macaroons, cream filled chocolate eclairs and crispy croissants. The ideas are endless and your kids will have hours of fun.

Amy from Juni Moon sources all the materials for her toys herself, using natural rattan and cane for all her toy furniture, which is an exceptionally sustainable wood, and 100% New Zealand wool for her felt toys, all using non-toxic dyes. I guarantee you won’t leave this store without wanting to start your own felt French bakery.

Make the swap

So come on guys, lets swap the plastic, short lasting, cheap toys for quality, hand-made, sustainable, non-toxic toys. The best thing about all this, is you will be supporting a small local business, not a big corporation that puts profits before people.

It only takes one to make a change in others.