Why I Started Hunting for PVC Toy Recycling
Last summer, my kid’s inflatable crocodile pool toy finally gave up after three seasons. Patched it twice with duct tape already, so it was time to say goodbye. Didn’t wanna just trash it since I heard PVC releases nasty stuff in landfills. Grabbed the crocodile and my old punctured pool floaties and started investigating.
Mistakes I Made First
Thought regular recycling bins would handle it – big nope. Dragged them to my curb bin on pickup day only to find them still there hours later with a red “CONTAMINATION” sticker slapped on. Then tried that big blue store with electronics recycling… they looked at me like I brought radioactive waste. One cashier mumbled they’d only take hard plastics like buckets.
Calling Around Town
Spent two lunch breaks calling every place Google suggested:
- City waste center: “We don’t take PVC inflatables – try special collection events.”
- Scrap metal yards: Laughed and said they only want copper pipes.
- Foam recyclers: Told me they melt only foam blocks, not plastic coating.
Felt like hunting unicorns honestly.
The Breakthrough Moment
Finally called this tiny family-run plastics place on the industrial side of town. Guy actually paused and said: “Yeah bring ’em in – we shred PVC for construction filler if it’s clean.” Made sure:
- Drained every drop of water from the toys
- Scraped off all sand and algae with a putty knife
- Dried them completely on my driveway for 2 sunny days
Piled them in my trunk feeling stupid hopeful.
How the Drop-off Went
Weighed the pile on their forklift scale – 18 pounds of colorful shredded-destiny. Saw workers tossing them into this roaring machine that chopped everything into blue confetti. Felt oddly satisfying hearing that crocodile get demolished. Best part? Zero fee. They even took my neighbor’s busted kiddie pool when I mentioned it.
What Actually Works Locally
Found out most towns have hidden gems if you dig past the first search page:
- Small plastic shredders often take clean PVC if you preprocess it
- Construction recycling centers reuse it as cheap binder material
- Special collection days are rare but call public works monthly
Big lesson? Always remove valves and dry completely – wet PVC gunks up their equipment and they’ll reject it.