How To Deal With Post-Christmas Toy Overload

It’s a dilemma faced by parents everywhere this time of year – you want to declutter post-Christmas, but what should you do with all those toys your children have received (on top of the mountain of ones they already have)? According to research from The Octopus Club, a preloved marketplace for parents, only 1% of Christmas presents are still being played with six months later. They also found one in ten unwanted Christmas presents end up in landfill, and that the more presents children have the less they enjoy playing with them.

‘Lots of people are thinking about sustainability more than ever, says Ana Estrougo, founder of The Octopus Club. ‘Every year around 81 million unwanted presents are received. That's 3 per UK household. Many of these end up thrown away, often to landfill. So, what do we do with all the unwanted gifts? And what about the things that become obsolete now there is new stuff around?’ Here are Ana’s top tips…

Find it a new home

‘Use it or sell it on. Don’t feel guilty about regifting, it’s part of living a sustainable life and we need to get used to a circular way of living. Find a new loving family using online platforms, or regift to friends if gifts are age inappropriate. We once gave away an 8-year-old plus toy for our 2-year-old! I didn't want it laying around for six years, so I passed it on.’

Sell it or give it away

‘If you feel uncomfortable making money from gifts, then use the gifting option on online platforms or give to charity shops.’

Don’t return it

‘The number one thing NOT to do is return an unwanted gift. Often it's cheaper for big companies to throw something away than it is to repackage it, add it back to the inventory, store and ship it out again. This means your returned gift may end up in landfill, which is depressing and mind blowing.’

Declutter

‘Lastly, remember to declutter their old toys regularly so you and your kids don't get overwhelmed by stuff. If it’s broken, fix it. If they no longer play with it, pass it on. This way, you will extend the life of a product, reduce waste and make another family happy all in one go!’