Parents spend billions of dollars on toys every year, and some are hopeful that toy rental companies could be the next wave of home entertainment.
What is a toy rental company?
There are a variety of options, but for the most part, it works much like a library does for books, as Lucky Jack detailed for Vocal Media.
Parents pay a monthly fee for membership and children are granted access to items that can be returned when they no longer play with it.
Why you should be wary of toy rental programs
Approximately 90% of toys sold are made of plastic. Plastic is almost always made from dirty energy, such as crude oil. In fact, the United Nations Environment Program found that the toy sector is one of the world's most plastic-intensive industries.
Many parents donate items so they don't go to waste. For example, Lego Replay allows people to send their Lego bricks back to be cleaned and then sent to children in need.
Despite these developments being a step in the right direction, nearly 80% of all toys end up in dumpsters, incinerators, or the ocean, according to a study by ScienceDirect. This releases toxins into the environment, harming wildlife and often leading to animal death.
The toy rental initiative is also a tool to tackle a big problem.
How Toy Rental Programs Help Parents
Toy rental programs not only prevent clutter from accumulating around the house, they also give children new and exciting options away from screens, combating boredom and stimulating imaginative and cooperative play. To do.
What's the most appealing part? The amount of money you save by purchasing items that will soon gather dust in a corner.
As of mid-February 2024, Americans had already spent more than $12 billion on toys, a World Counts study found, even though children quickly outgrow toys.
Meanwhile, PR Newswire reported that online marketplace Mercari found that American families are sitting on about $13 billion in unused children's and baby products (just under $400 per household). did.
Enrolling in a toy rental program could save parents about $1,500 over 10 years.
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