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How Are Dog Toys Recycled? (Explained)

When your beloved fur baby has lost interest in playing with toys or those can hardly be recognized as dog toys, you definitely have pondered over the very common query: “How can you recycle your dog’s old toys?” 

Well, almost all dog toys are recyclable, but as a dog owner, you must adopt eco-friendly methods for recycling those. Here we have tried to give you insights into all the beneficial recyclable processes of dog toys. So, without further ado, let’s get started. 

How Are Dog Toys Recycled? 

Pet dog toys that are specifically made of clothes, foam, and cardboard paper can be recycled easily. You can sew torn stuffed toys and reshape them or separate the materials and reuse them. But plastic toys are hardly recyclable; in that case, you can donate them to animal shelters.

Nowadays, sustainable dog toys are being produced with highly recyclable materials. So these can be reused, and recycling centers also accept the scraps. Dumping wastes in dumping areas or landfill creates an alarming situation so recycling pet toys are always encouraged. 

Plastic-made toys are nearly unrecyclable. Therefore, you can donate unused toys to animal shelters. Also, there are thousands of DIY ideas; you can use one to turn those plastic toys into something new and exciting. 

The disposal of dog toys frequently is harmful to the environment. Hence, you are always encouraged to reuse them or recycle them to curtail your pet’s carbon pawprint. 

Can Dog Toys Be Recycled?

Most of the time, your pup’s toys are recyclable. As long as the toys are made of eco-friendly materials, clothing pieces, and fabrics, you can recycle them quite easily. Even toys made of biodegradable plastics and rubber are also highly recyclable. 

These furry babies tend to chew and scratch their playing mates, and this results in torn, damaged, and unrecognizable toys. If the materials inside are still in a good condition, you can take them out and re-utilize them for making creative fun toys.

And if those are highly damaged, there’s always an option to give them to recycling waste collectors. Unless the toys are made of indispensable plastics, often there’s room for recycling dog toys. 

How Do You Recycle Dog Toys?

Here are four useful and effective ways of recycling dog toys.

Repair The Dog Toys

The most common dog toys are rope toys, and those are produced from 100% recyclable cotton fibers.

That simply means if these kinds of toys are ripped or nearly unrecognizable, those can be recycled by repairing them. Just need a little touch of knitting, and those are ready to be reused again. 

Also, these cotton yarn scraps can be used to make other toys. Furthermore, scrap material collectors collect these cotton yarn and sell them to toy manufacturing companies to reuse them to make net toys out of them.

Expand The Toy’s Durability 

Stuffed dog toys are generally more durable and more recyclable. As most toys are made of cotton/clothes so even if a part is ripped off or chewed badly, those parts can be replaced by makeshift toys. It extends the reuse duration too. 

Use DIY Ideas

Recycling plastic toys are a bit distressing as plastics are no decomposable, but it’s not an impossible task. You can use your imagination and DIY ideas to make another entertaining toy for your doggy.

Or if those are made from sustainable plastics, you can always sell them off to recyclable plastic collectors. 

Donate To Animal Shelters

If your dog has never played with any toy or has lost interest in them, you can grab the excellent opportunity of donating those toys to animal shelters. You can even recycle plastic toys that are in good condition in this manner. 

Benefits Of Recycling Dog Toy 

Pups are not likely to produce tons of garbage as humans do, but recycling dog toys can create little to a big difference in curtailing trash yard waste. Both you and mother earth will be benefited from recycled dog toys. 

Lessens Extra Cost Over Buying New Toys 

Recycling often cuts off extra expenses; the same goes for dog toys as well. Rather than buying new toys every other day for your beloved puppy, you simply can reuse old ones or the materials to make some entertaining fun toys.

This will lessen the burden on your wallet, and your pup will get new exciting toys. 

A Sustainable Environment 

By recycling dog toys, you can contribute to creating a more sustainable environment. Sometimes these toys can contain toxic elements that are contagious for the land’s fertility rate.

Therefore when you are re-utilizing old ones, it is reducing wastes to be thrown onto landfills. 

Reduces The Use Of Plastic Dog Toys 

When you are repurposing your dog’s toys by expanding the durability, repairing-reshaping them, or reusing leftover materials, you are subconsciously helping to decrease the usage of plastic toys.

And this small action is creating a big impact on the environment.

Supporting Animal Rescue Homes 

Donating your dog’s unused toys to animal shelters offer them great help from you. Most of the time, animal shelters do need funds to raise and take care of those innocent fur babies, so with your little donation, those rescued dogs will have so much fun.

Do Animal Shelters Take Used Toys? 

Many animal shelters or rescue homes accept used dog toys only if they are in considerably good condition. And sometimes animal shelters have their own preferences while accepting the used dog toys. 

But there are many rescue centers that don’t accept used toys. So before donating, you should reach out to them first to know their preferences and needs. 

How To Make Recycled Dog Toys?

Recycling dog toys are one of the most beneficial and cost-effective methods of repurposing old dog toys; it is sustainable as well.

Therefore, you can think of making new and fun dog toys from scrap materials by using various DIY ideas. Here’s a very simple and easy process for making an upcycled tug toy for your dog is given. 

Materials you need

  • Just a strong piece of clothing or fabrics(jeans, t-shirt, fleece blankets, or sheets) 

Making Process 

  • Step 1: Cut the fabrics or clothing piece into strips.
  • Step 2: Lay 3/4 pieces next to each other.
  • Step 3: Tie a knot at the top to join them together and start braiding at last, tie another knot. 
  • Step 4: For a flamboyant tug toy, use advanced knotting methods such as macramé. 

No matter what process you choose to recycled dog toys, just make sure of creating a safe toy. Your beloved pup can swallow fabrics or clothing pieces while playing with it and it’s dangerous for them. So choose fabrics wisely. However, fleece is a safe option to make recycled tug toys.

How Often Should You Throw Out Dog Toys? 

As a dog parent, you must know how often you should throw out old toys. Your pet dog maximum times plays with them, and their health and safety are correlated with those stuff.

So to keep in mind your furry friend’s health and safety, you’re required to throw out the dog toys when those are ripped off, or stuffing has come out.

Also, the rubber toys can have sharp edges, so you should throw them out when the edges are visible, as those can injure your dog’s mouth and stomach. 

Although dog toys don’t produce much waste, surely you wouldn’t want the environment to have your dog’s carbon pawprint.

Therefore, to reduce waste, create a sustainable environment, and cut off extra costs on dog toys, you must recycle old toys. And recycling is always a wise choice, so consider adopting it. 

Frequently Asked Questions:

How to teach dog not to destroy toys?

How many toys can a dog have?

How to make dog toys?

DIY dog toys out of shirts/fleece/jeans/pants/fabric/socks?

Easy DIY dog toys made with braid/paracord/rope – Full guide