LEGO has been around since 1932 and has produced 400 billion LEGO elements or 62 bricks for every one person on the planet. That is a whole lot of LEGO in the world! So, is it all recyclable?
The fact is, LEGO is not currently recyclable in the traditional sense. Only a small number of pieces are actually made from recycled plastic. LEGO is working on creating more sustainable and environmentally friendly products. LEGO is, however, recyclable through reuse and it can be donated to those in need or even sold to make a little extra cash.
This article will explore the facts and myths about whether or not LEGOs can be recycled. I will explore the best ways to recycle LEGO pieces and how to responsibly dispose of those that can’t be recycled.
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Is LEGO Environmentally Friendly?
LEGO has not been environmentally friendly up until recent years, but it is making moves to do so. LEGO has primarily made bricks out of a plastic called Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS). ABS plastic is not biodegradable and is not accepted by recyclers. I called my local recycler and asked if I could put LEGO bricks in my blue recycle bin and I was told that I couldn’t. If you were to put your LEGO in the trash, it would sit in a landfill for the next 1000 years.
LEGO has a team of more than 150 people working on making LEGO more sustainable. In 2020, LEGO announced that it would be removing single-use plastic from its boxes. In 2018, LEGO began making pieces from bio-polyethylene (bio-PE) which is made from sugarcane. Bio-PE is good for making softer pieces such as trees, branches and leaves but not good for harder, stronger bricks.
An example of a LEGO set that contains elements made from sugarcane, is the IDEAS Treehouse #21318. This set features 185 plants and leaves that are made from sustainable materials sourced from sugarcane. This set is amazing, it is one of my all-time favorite LEGO sets. It is fun to build and looks amazing when it is completed.
Other recent LEGO sets have utilized sustainable materials, such as the LEGO Botanical Collection Flower Bouquet (10280) and the LEGO Botanical Collection Bonsai Tree (10281).
On September 15, 2020, the LEGO Group stated that they will be investing $400 million US over three years to increase sustainability efforts with a view to making all of its packaging sustainable by the end of 2025. The current single-use plastic bags that contain LEGO elements will eventually be replaced with recyclable paper bags.
Does LEGO Use Recycled Plastic?
On June 23, 2021, LEGO announced a LEGO brick that was made from recycled plastic. This new prototype brick is made from PET plastic which is made from plastic bottles. The new prototype has the clutch power that LEGO bricks are famous for and is completely compatible with plastic bricks made from ABS over the last 60 years. A one-liter PET plastic bottle will produce 10 2×4 bricks.
Can You Put LEGO In The Recycling Bin?
As you probably could figure out from the featured image of this article, you cannot place LEGO in your recycle bin – at least not where I live. I called our local recycling company and they informed me that no, I could not put LEGO in my blue recycle bin.
How Long Does It Take For LEGO To Drcompose?
It takes approximately 100 to 1,300 years for LEGO to decompose. This is according to an article that is mentioned at ScienceDirect.com.
How Do You Dispose Of Old LEGO?
So if you can’t recycle LEGO, then what do you do with your old LEGO? If you are not a collector or have limited space for your LEGO, then you will want to get rid of them. One good way of riding your house of LEGO clutter is to donate them. LEGO has a program called Replay where anyone can donate their old LEGO and it will be given to children in need. So you get rid of your LEGO and children in need get to play with and enjoy the LEGO.
I use Replay a lot as I am continually buying new LEGO sets and I only have a limited amount of space in my house. It feels good too, that children that might not otherwise have the opportunity to play with LEGO, get a chance to do so through the Replay program.
In 2019 alone, 50,000 lbs of LEGO was donated through the LEGO Replay program. That is the equivalent weight of a Southern Right Whale!
How Does LEGO Replay Work?
LEGO has teamed up with Give Back Box to take your donated LEGO and give them to children in need. Donated LEGO goes to organizations like Teach for America and Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston.
LEGO replay is totally free and you can donate any kind of LEGO brick and they don’t have to be cleaned as they will be cleaned after you donate them.
When I did it, the label is a FedEx shipping label that is going to Give Back Box in Illinois. I just placed the LEGO in a box I had laying around, taped it up, and placed the shipping label on it. You can even have the box picked up from your house and not have to take it to a FedEx drop-off location.
You can donate any LEGO, Duplo, Technic bricks and elements, even Minifigures and baseplates. You can’t send non-LEGO bricks or batteries and electronic components.
It’s easy to donate your LEGO through the Replay program, just go to the LEGO website and print out your free shipping label.
The LEGO Replay program is probably the most well-known LEGO donating platform but there are others too, such as the Brick Recycler and Little Bricks Charity. Brick Recycler operates similar to Replay whereas the Little Bricks Charity will welcome new, sealed sets only.
Recycle Your LEGO Through Selling It
If you want to earn a few extra bucks selling your LEGO, then you can sell it on secondary marketplaces such as the ones listed below.
There are more places you could find to sell your LEGO, but these are some of the more popular options. You might also want to do a search for LEGO Facebook groups. There are many Facebook groups dedicated to buying and selling LEGO. You might want to be careful not to try and sell your LEGO on the wrong LEGO Facebook group as it may be frowned upon and you may be ultimately kicked out of the group. So if you are not sure, you can message the group administrators and see if listing LEGO for sale is allowed.
My favorite Facebook group to sell LEGO is the LEGO buy, sell, trade, discuss group which is located in the U.S.A. I have bought and sold a lot of LEGO through this group over the years. If you are located in the U.K., then this LEGO wanted, buy, sell, trade group is a very good choice.
Remember, if you have the box, then you will get a higher price so if you plan to sell your LEGO once you are done with them, then keep the box.
Final Thoughts
LEGO is not recyclable like other household items. It is made from plastic that is not biodegradable. LEGO is working on making LEGO more sustainable by using PET plastic from sugarcane. It is also removing harmful packaging and making it more eco-friendly.
It’s never too late to teach your kids the joy of LEGO and with these tips, you can now give back as well. Whether you donate your LEGO through the Replay program or sell used sets on secondary marketplaces, you are giving the opportunity to someone else to enjoy the joy of these little colored bricks.