We often get emails and queries from customers keen to do their bit for the environment when it comes to offloading old vibrators and dildos. Contacting us is often a last resort, however, so many end up hoarding broken vibes just because they don't know what to do with them.
Taking an hour or so to clear out your toy box is a good idea in terms of freeing up space (for new sexy toys, obv!) but also for ensuring all your playthings are in good working order, made of body safe material and so on. For tips on what to look out for, check our blog post on how to best carry out an annual spring clean of sex toys.
As an environmentally-aware, responsible company with a strong ethos, waste is and always has been a big issue for us.
We currently work with a great recycling company and recycle at least 90% of our business waste, but there are still some elements of our business and materials we are not able to recycle, such as silicone.
Did you know, for example, that there is nowhere to recycle silicone in Britain, or even Europe at the moment of writing? China will take silicone waste, but they'll only do so in 20-ton containers.
Let's repeat that: 20-ton containers. That is a whole load of used dildos!
So unfortunately there is no current demand for recycled silicone, but we're keeping an eye out for local initiatives in the hope this will change.
DIY recycling of sex toys
The hardworking team in our warehouse spend an inordinate amount of time breaking down every waste toy into its simple parts so as much as possible can be recycled: wires going into the electrical bin, plastics into the plastics pile and so on.
Depending on your local service you may be able to recycle parts of old toys yourself. Once you have taken it apart, no one needs to know what it once was; once in the dump truck, no one will be able to tell that it was once your favourite vibrator.
Silicone dildos and other parts can be cut up into unrecognizable pieces and no one will be any the wiser as to where it came from.
We are happy to recycle the parts for you.
If you feel unsure, or worried that a neighbour will spot a Jessica Rabbit poking out from your bin bag, we are happy to recycle the parts for you. In order for us to offer this service though, there are a couple of things to bear in mind:
- We'll recycle products purchased from Sh! only
- Products must be thoroughly cleaned
- Products must be returned to us at your own expense
Reusing Silicone Waste
By trying to reuse as much silicone waste as we possibly can in our manufacturing process, we are able to keep waste to a minimum.
We have spent time looking at a recycling dildo scheme and if we found that there is enough interest, we're willing to look at a recycled dildo range. For us to take this further, we'd appreciate your feedback.
Our biggest question regarding recycling is...
Would you be willing to pay more for a dildo that had been returned by another customer, sterilized, broken down and re-poured into a new product?
We'd be keen to hear your thoughts on this, so please feel free to respond below. Alternatively, email your thoughts on recycling sex toys to advice@sh-womenstore.com with RECYCLING in the subject bar.
