Next time you step barefoot on a stray Lego brick and threaten to throw every last plastic building block into the trash, consider donating them instead.
The new Lego Replay pilot program accepts any and all previously used pieces, to be gifted to children’s non-profits.
Simply collect any loose bricks, sets, or elements, place them into a cardboard box, and print out a free UPS shipping label. (Try to avoid stuffing three pounds of methamphetamine in there, too.)
The package will be sent to the Give Back Box facility, where each block is sorted, inspected, and cleaned.
“We know people don’t throw away their Lego bricks,” Tim Brooks, vice president of environmental responsibility at the Lego Group, said in a statement. “The vast majority hand them down to their children or grandchildren.
“But others have asked us for a safe way to dispose of or to donate their bricks,” he continued. “With Replay, they have an easy option that’s both sustainable and socially impactful.”
The effort is a collaboration with Give Back Box (a charity dedicated to “recycling” 11 million tons of unused clothing, footwear, and textiles that end up in landfills each year), Teach For America, and Boy & Girls Clubs of Boston.
“What’s better than giving a child the gift of play?” Give Back Box founder Monika Wiela said. “For us, the number of donations we receive is critical to a successful campaign, so we’ve made it as easy as possible for folks at home to send in their idle bricks.”
Teach for America will receive the majority of collected elements, which will be doled out to thousands of classrooms across the country.
“Through play, children develop fine motor skills, think creatively, and can learn how to problem solve through teamwork,” according to Susan Asiyanbi, Teach For America’s chief operating and program officer.
“But not everyone has access to such resources,” she explained. “Lego Replay, and the instructional resources they provide educators, will help give more students access to this opportunity.”
Bricks will also be presented to Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston for their after-school programs. The first shipments are expected to arrive in November.
Once the pilot ends next spring, the Lego Group will consider a possible expansion. No further details have been revealed.
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- Police Bust Massive Counterfeit Lego Operation
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