Toy Donation Calculator: Your Clear-Out’s Carbon Saving
Every toy that is played with again, instead of thrown away and replaced with a new one, saves carbon. Tap what you’re giving below to see roughly what your toy clear-out could save. Then book a free doorstep toy collection and make it happen.
- Takes seconds
- Cautious estimates
- Free doorstep collection
Behind the numbers
How we work it out
We turn what you give into kilos
A full bag of toys is taken as 7.5 kg. A teddy or soft toy counts as 0.3 kg, a doll as 0.4 kg and an action figure as 0.2 kg. A handful of toy cars counts as 0.5 kg, a bag of LEGO or building bricks as 1.5 kg and a small toy train set as 1 kg. These are typical weights, and many toys weigh more, so the answer stays on the low side.
We work out what playing with them again saves
For every kilo of toys used again instead of made new, we estimate a saving of 2 kg of carbon dioxide equivalent. This is our own estimate for toys, and it is the same figure we use across our website.
We put it into everyday terms
An average car gives off about 0.27 kg of CO2e a mile, according to the UK government’s greenhouse gas conversion factors. Distances between places are approximate road miles.
Here’s an example. A teddy, two dolls and a bag of LEGO come to 2.6 kg. At 2 kg of CO2e a kilo, that’s an estimated saving of about 5 kg of CO2e. A full bag of toys comes to an estimated 15 kg of CO2e, roughly the same as driving an average car 55 miles.
What does CO2e mean?
Carbon dioxide equivalent. Making toys from plastic, metal and wood, then packing and shipping them, releases several greenhouse gases. CO2e adds them up as the amount of carbon dioxide that would warm the planet by the same amount.
Why count toys by weight?
Toys come in every shape and size, from a tiny figure to a box of bricks. Weight is a fair way to compare them, because heavier toys generally take more material to make.
Why “estimated”?
Every toy is different, so no calculator can be exact. We would rather understate what you save than overstate it, so we use cautious weights and our own cautious estimate per kilo.
Make it count
How to make your saving bigger
- Give toys that are clean, whole and in good condition. They are the ones a child can play with again.
- Keep sets together. Put LEGO and building bricks in one bag, and keep a train set’s track with its trains.
- Check the whole house: the toy box, under the beds, the loft and the back of the wardrobe.
- Look for the outgrown teddies and soft toys too. Clean, loved ones can be cuddled again.
Not sure what to include? See what toys can I donate?, with more on soft toys and teddies and donating LEGO. To find out why playing with toys again beats making new ones, read how donating toys helps the planet. When you’re ready, book your free collection.
Sources
- Savings per kilo: our own estimate for toys kept in use rather than replaced, the same figure we use across our site.
- Car emissions: UK government greenhouse gas conversion factors for company reporting (average car).
Ready to donate your toys?
It’s free, you don’t need to be at home, and you choose the charity your donation supports.