182 elementary schools in the Académie de Versailles, in partnership with Eco-mobilier, are taking part in an educational project on the reuse and recycling of toys and games.
Designed around a flagship initiative to collect toys from families, from November 15, 2022 to January 15, 2023, this project is part of a global approach to education in solidarity and sustainable development, in conjunction with players in the social and solidarity economy.
Eco-mobilier and the toy reuse and recycling network
In 2022, Eco-mobilier has been approved by the public authorities to organize the collection, repair, reuse and recycling of toys and games as part of this new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme.
The eco-organization takes charge of the end-of-life of all used toys - outdoor games (tricycles, garden sheds, buckets and spades, etc.), board games and puzzles, indoor toys, gift toys - whatever their material: plastic, wood, metal or textile. Only electrical and electronic toys are still handled by other dedicated eco-organizations. Eco-mobilier's objective is to collect over 30,000 tonnes of used toys for recycling by 2024, and to direct a further 10,000 tonnes towards re-use.
Donation and reuse are major challenges for this new sector. In response, Eco-mobilier is experimenting with new collection solutions throughout France, including this pilot operation organized in 182 schools in the Versailles education authority. The aim is to reinforce the "donation reflex" and create new circuits to direct used toys first and foremost towards solidarity-based reuse.
The toys will be collected by some forty social economy structures (ESS), partners of Eco-mobilier, to be resold at solidarity prices or donated. They will bring joy to other children, while supporting the work of staff on integration schemes.
The educational approach and the solidarity toy drive in schools
Taking advantage of children's interest in toys, an object with which they are familiar, this solidarity collection aims to develop an educational project on donation, reuse and waste prevention and management. It is at the heart of education for sustainable development, and reinforces learning through a meaningful action. The 182 elementary schools taking part in the project are spread across the 4 départements of the Académie de Versailles: Yvelines (78), Essonne (91), Hauts-de-Seine (92), Val-d'Oise (95). It will mobilize teaching teams and students in a project associated with the toy drive to :
- Developing students' learning and skills ;
- Work on civic engagement and citizenship by mobilizing children's interest in a
everyday object: the toy; - Start or deepen a global approach to sustainable development ;
- Teamwork and building a student pathway (creating links between cycles and
levels).
From Tuesday November 15, Eco-mobilier will provide schools with a communication kit and a collection bin for toys donated by families. Teachers will have a booklet at their disposal to help them develop a range of skills related to fundamental knowledge and pupils' ability to get involved, and to mobilize a global approach to sustainable development (SD) in the school. The toys collected in this way will be collected by an Eco-mobilier partner in the social economy, to be resold at a fair price or redistributed to other children. This flagship initiative will run until mid-January 2023.