I love cardboard! Somehow all the cardboard that arrives with stuff I buy triggers the most creative side in me, and I could make a long list of all the fun I’ve had with it playing with the kids: dolls from egg cartons; a play house from a large box, with the chimney made from a milk carton; dolls beds from smaller boxes; a garage / car tunnel from yet other boxes (also a very girly garage from a pink perfume box); ornamental art objects like hearts that I’ve cut out and the kids have decorated…the list could go on, but you get the picture. Apart from being fun, it makes me feel good to make use of something that would otherwise be put for recycling (which is where it ends up eventually, but first the kids and I have some fun with it), and it means I do not spend money on toys intended for creative play moments, instead I make up my own, saving both money and the environment (just think about the energy used for making and transporting new toys).
In this ode to cardboard, I want to share some paper and recycling facts with you:
- Paper is made from wood, or actually wood fiber. Wood fiber can be recycled five to seven times before they become to short to make new papers of.
- Usually recycled paper is turned into a similar or ‘lower grade’ product.
- Recycling one ton of newsprint saves about 1 ton of wood while recycling 1 ton of printing or copier paper saves slightly more than 2 tons of wood. (source: Wikipedia).
- In the EU, 2 tonnes of paper is recycled every second
- The newsprint industry is the largest sector for recycled paper, but packaging (the cardboards I use!), is also one of the major users.
But ok, I know not everyone is crazy enough to turn their packaging into toys. Don’t worry – the UK Kid Eco offers them in their webshop. And admittedly the creations they offer look a bit, well, less amateuristic than mine. They do not only have houses, they have castles, and even palaces! Or how about an igloo? Check out more on www.kideco.co.uk.
Picture: www.kideco.co.uk
Tove Antonissen
I love that little play house. My kids love playing in boxes but we have never taken it that far. Maybe we should, next time.
Thanks for your comment – and please do give it a try, it’s a lot of fun!
Hi Tove!
Thank you very much for your kind comments about Kid-Eco products, we are delighted to see that our products are recognised (in other countries, as well as our own) for what they really are, ‘toys that don’t cost the earth’!
Many thanks,
Team Kid-eco
Thank you, that really sums it up “toys don’t cost the earth”…