There’s another Christmas countdown commercial reminding us of how many days remain!! Toys take over nearly every talk show/news program on TV as everyone wants to report on what this year’s top toys are. Live with Regis and Kelly, featured a segment about Disney Family Fun Magazine’s 18th Annual Toy of the Year Awards. Kelly Ripa and guest Co-host husband Mark Consuelos, were shown the top ten winners. FamilyFun’s  “testers assessed quality, value, and the fun factor of more than 375 toys to create a list of 30 kid-and-parent-approved winners.”

So why am I blogging about toys? Well, an eco-friendly kid’s toy has not only made its way into the mix but also landed in the top 3! That’s right, both parents and kids deemed an eco-friendly kids toy both fun and a good buy. The toy in question is a Recycling Truck; it is 12-inchs-long and made from recycled plastic milk containers.  It is made by Green Toys and is an eco-friendly kid’s toy for those 3-6 year olds and retails for $25.00 USD. This toy would appeal to it’s key demographic as 3-6 year olds are just becoming aware of recycling and want to help their parents sort. The cardboard box (also recycled, naturally) sports images of bottles, cans, and paper that parents can cut out for kids to sort and load into the truck’s slots, then cart away and dump in the nearest bin.

This is not just a fun eco-friendly kid’s toy but also one that is educational as it brings recycling into their playtime as well. That is not the only great selling point of this toy, all their toys are 100% made in California. “On average every pound of recycled milk jugs used in the making of green toys: saves energy equal to 3,000 AAA batteries. It also saves enough electricity to power a TV set for 3 whole weeks. Not to mention it saves enough electricity to keep a laptop computer running for a month.”

Green Toys’ environmental mission extends to its packaging as they strive to minimize it where and how they can, all toys are “packaged in recycled corrugated boxes with no plastics, cellophane or twist-ties, and are 100% recyclable”. Green Toys makes other eco-friendly kids toys that will appeal to both boys and girls. Buying a child an eco-friendly toy is ultra cool because they are seen as both fun, economical and good for the environment. With Christmas around the corner, it is heart-warming to know that there are some great eco-friendly options being created.  Keep your eyes open for more and really bring out the green this Christmas.

Check out the youtube video on Green Toys’  Recycling Truck made from 100% recycled plastic milk jugs: 

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