Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Legos Lying Around? Toy Maker Tests Way to Recycle Bricks
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
October 9, 2019

Share

NEW YORK — Lego is looking to keep its plastic bricks out of the trash.

Lego, like other big brands, is looking to please customers worried about plastic’s impact on the environment. Plastic doesn’t disintegrate but instead can break down into tiny pieces and be eaten by birds or other wildlife, endangering their health.
The Danish toymaker is testing a way for customers to ship their unwanted bricks back and get them into the hands of other kids.
It said Tuesday that customers in the U.S. can print out a mailing label on its site, dump their used Lego bricks in a box and ship them off for free. Lego said the pieces will be cleaned, put in a box and given to Teach for America, a nonprofit that will donate them to classrooms across the United States. Some bricks will be also sent to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston for their after-school programs.
Lego said if the test is successful, it may expand the program beyond the U.S. next year.

Lego Working to Find Other Materials for Its Colorful Bricks

The company typically tells its customers to keep their bricks or pass them on to others. But some have asked for another way to donate them, said Tim Brooks, Lego’s vice president of environmental responsibility.
Lego, like other big brands, is looking to please customers worried about plastic’s impact on the environment. Plastic doesn’t disintegrate but instead can break down into tiny pieces and be eaten by birds or other wildlife, endangering their health.
It is also working to find other materials for its colorful bricks. But finding one as durable as plastic has been a challenge, Brooks said. Last year, however, it began making Lego trees and bushes out of sugar cane.
Rival Hasbro, which makes Monopoly and Mr. Potato Head, said it plans to eliminate plastic use in its packaging by 2022. It too has said that finding a material to replace the plastic in its toys has been tricky.

DON'T MISS

Outrage Grows Over Maryland Man’s Mistaken Deportation to El Salvador Prison

DON'T MISS

Kings County Chase Ends in Meth Arrest, but Deputies Are Looking for Driver

DON'T MISS

Xavier Becerra Enters 2026 California Governor’s Race

DON'T MISS

Reps. Costa, Gray Propose Bill to Address Critical Doctor Shortage in Rural Areas

DON'T MISS

Here’s How the New NFL Rules on Kickoffs and Overtime Will Work

DON'T MISS

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Yakista Ceeblaj Lor

DON'T MISS

Inside a $17 Billion Maintenance Backlog Plaguing California’s Universities

DON'T MISS

Progress Picks Up on Well Registration Efforts Among Kings County Landowners

DON'T MISS

Webb Pitches 7 Strong Innings as Giants Beat Astros

DON'T MISS

Curry Drops 52 as Warriors Beat Grizzlies, Move into Fifth in West

UP NEXT

Lakers Hold Off Rockets With 6 3-Pointers Apiece From Dorian Finney-Smith, Gabe Vincent

UP NEXT

Athletics Bat Boy Stewart Thalblum Takes Down Drone in Left Field

UP NEXT

NFL Postpones Tush Push Decision but Passes Other Rule Changes, AP Source Says

UP NEXT

March Madness: It’s South Carolina vs. Texas and UCLA vs. UConn in Women’s Final Four

UP NEXT

Major Layoffs Begin at Health Agencies That Track Disease and Regulate Food

UP NEXT

U.S. Bank Executive Terry Dolan Dies in Plane Crash Near Minneapolis

UP NEXT

Top Vaccine Official Resigns From FDA, Criticizes RFK Jr. for Promoting Misinformation, Lies

UP NEXT

Utah Becomes the First State to Ban Fluoride in Public Drinking Water

UP NEXT

Wilmer Flores’ 3-Run Homer in the 9th Inning Propels Giants to Victory Over Reds

UP NEXT

Democrats’ Popularity Plummets, yet Midterm Prospects Remain Strong

Reps. Costa, Gray Propose Bill to Address Critical Doctor Shortage in Rural Areas

24 minutes ago

Here’s How the New NFL Rules on Kickoffs and Overtime Will Work

59 minutes ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Yakista Ceeblaj Lor

1 hour ago

Inside a $17 Billion Maintenance Backlog Plaguing California’s Universities

1 hour ago

Progress Picks Up on Well Registration Efforts Among Kings County Landowners

1 hour ago

Webb Pitches 7 Strong Innings as Giants Beat Astros

1 hour ago

Curry Drops 52 as Warriors Beat Grizzlies, Move into Fifth in West

1 hour ago

Dodgers Extend Perfect Start Behind May and Betts’ Heroics

1 hour ago

Fresno County Authorities Seeks Public’s Help in Finding Family of Man Killed by Vehicle

2 hours ago

California Lawmakers Reject Bills to Restrict Transgender Youth in School Sports

2 hours ago

Outrage Grows Over Maryland Man’s Mistaken Deportation to El Salvador Prison

In the 22 days since Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia was mistakenly deported to a notoriously violent prison in El Salvador, his youn...

4 minutes ago

In this photo provided by El Salvador's presidential press office, prison guards transfer deportees from the U.S., alleged to be Venezuelan gang members, to the Terrorism Confinement Center in Tecoluca, El Salvador, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (El Salvador presidential press office via AP)
4 minutes ago

Outrage Grows Over Maryland Man’s Mistaken Deportation to El Salvador Prison

A chase through the Santa Rosa Rancheria ended with one suspect in custody and meth seized on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, while the driver remains at large. (Kings County SO)
6 minutes ago

Kings County Chase Ends in Meth Arrest, but Deputies Are Looking for Driver

15 minutes ago

Xavier Becerra Enters 2026 California Governor’s Race

24 minutes ago

Reps. Costa, Gray Propose Bill to Address Critical Doctor Shortage in Rural Areas

The Kansas City Chiefs kickoff to the Philadelphia Eagles at the start of the NFL Super Bowl 59 football game, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP File)
59 minutes ago

Here’s How the New NFL Rules on Kickoffs and Overtime Will Work

Yakista Ceeblaj Lor is Valley Crime Stoppers' Most Wanted Person of the Day for April 2, 2025. (Valley Crimes Stoppers)
1 hour ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Yakista Ceeblaj Lor

1 hour ago

Inside a $17 Billion Maintenance Backlog Plaguing California’s Universities

1 hour ago

Progress Picks Up on Well Registration Efforts Among Kings County Landowners

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend