Junk Age

It seems that no matter how ‘in demand’ the latest consumable is, be it a phone, appliance or even a car, it all eventually becomes useless junk.

One item that seems particularly wasteful is kids’ toys, which sometimes makes me think about the children we are raising and the message we are sending them.

Remember the toy they wanted nanna to buy, that got used a total of one time when she finally gave in and got it for them? Or the bits and pieces from that other rather expensive toy that never really got put back together properly?

How do we find a happy balance here, where we make sure our children aren’t missing out and that they feel loved at Christmas and birthdays, without constantly contributing to the ever-growing stack of junk in the corner? You can’t really cut out gifts entirely, but you can employ more sustainable methods. 

One idea could be asking relatives to maybe put some of the money they were going to spend on gifts directly into the child’s account instead. Would the awkwardness of asking for money instead be overcome when you’re able to hand a young adult a much larger sum of money to go buy an asset with OR even potentially to fund their education with? 

Another idea is to work with our kids to find activities they can be gifted with instead of gathering more ‘things’ – for example a trip to the zoo or the planetarium. Our family employs the second method, and we’ve found it has the added bonus of gift giver’s spending time with the giftee doing whatever the activity is, which can be a lot of fun for everyone involved.  

And what do we do with all the toys we have gathered, and will inevitably continue to gather in years to come? One way to extend the life of some of these toys, and most other household items, is to donate them to recycling centres or second-hand stores where they can be rehomed and enjoyed by someone else. However, these centres and stores only accept working items in good condition – so what happens to the rest?

Items in need of repair can be rehomed through social media, as someone might have the knowhow to fix something you that you don’t, and might be able to breathe new life into something you would otherwise throw away. If you list items in need of repair for a very low cost (or even free!) online, you might be surprised how keen people are to turn your trash into treasure.

Alternatively, there’s growing encouragement for owners to try and repair broken goods themselves, instead of throwing them out. For example, through groups like the Brunswick Tool Shed, you can borrow tools you mightn’t otherwise have access to, or get assistance from volunteers with your DIY projects. Sometimes the fix can be very minor, but if we don’t have the skills to fix it, it’s very easy to just send it to the tip.

Just by changing a few simple things, we can slow the growth of the ‘junk age’ and help our kids appreciate their belongings more, and give items a much longer life too.