If you find yourself in the privileged position of having more toys than you have space or use, it can be tempting to throw toys into the trash to quickly get them out of your way. Many toys will end up in the landfill anyway (a great reason to insist on quality, natural toys in the first place). But you can at least prolong their lives and thereby reduce the world's "need" to produce more. You'll also free up space in your home while making another child very happy.

The great news is that you have countless opportunities to share your toys.

Finding homes for new toys is easy. If possible, leave the tags intact to eliminate any question of condition (some organizations only accept obviously new toys). Toys for Tots and Operation Christmas Child are popular programs that collect new toys prior to the December holidays, but pretty much any charity will take them year round.

For used toys, try contacting the following in your local area...

• Day care facilities, church nurseries, preschools or early childhood family education programs
• Children's hospitals
• Police, sheriff, fire and emergency medical services (EMS) departments often need stuffed animals on hand to comfort children in frightening situations. Stuffed Animals For Emergencies (SAFE) accepts stuffed animals in their work with these and other emergency organizations.
• Women's, children's or homeless shelters, or programs such as Project Night Night
• Refugee or other social service agencies
• Teen mom support programs
• Animal shelters
• Donation centers like Goodwill, Salvation Army, Lupus or Courage Center, VVA, etc. Some will even come to your home and pick up your items.

...and beyond...

• Missionaries traveling to impoverished areas
• Emergency (war, famine, epidemics or other disasters) relief programs
• Children in Iraq

Other options to consider:

• Sell your toys locally at a garage sale (yours or someone else's) or craigslist.org or worldwide on ebay.com. (Hint: if you choose well-made toys in the first place, you'll discover that they have good resale value). A warning about garage sales: these take a lot of time and you'll still have toys leftover.
• Send them to relatives' or friends' homes so children have toys available when visiting.
• Swap with other families.

Never give away toys you know have been recalled. Unsafe is unsafe--period. If you have a toy that has been recalled, it's no good for your child or anyone else's, so follow the instructions on the CPSC.gov website to get a refund or replacement, or dispose of them at a county hazardous waste site.

Some charities restrict the types of items they'll take (presumably for health and/or safety reasons), so call ahead to be sure they can use your toys. Also, while some broken toys might look like a quick fix, most donation centers and thrift shops don't have time for them. The process of culling and throwing out toys costs extra time and money, so use your best judgment before donating them.

In many cases, it's worth a try to post your toy(s) on Freecycle with an honest assessment of the condition. You're bound to find someone willing to make the repair if it means getting an otherwise great toy for free.

If you persist in looking for ways to let go of your unwanted toys, your efforts will benefit you, others, and the environment.

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