LEGO Will Recycle Your Old Bricks So More Kids Can Enjoy Them

When kids grow up and move out, parents have a decision to make: what to do with the toys that were left behind. LEGO has come up with a new solution that will keep more plastic out of landfills.

The Danish toy maker typically tells its customers to keep their bricks or pass them on to others. But some people have asked for another way to donate them. The company is testing LEGO Replay, a way for customers to ship their unwanted bricks back and get them into the hands of other kids.

Here's how it works: customers in the U.S. can print a mailing label on LEGO's official website, put their used Lego bricks in a box, and ship them off for free. Then the pieces are cleaned, repacked, and given to Teach for America, a nonprofit that will donate them to classrooms across the United States. Some bricks are also sent to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston for their after-school programs.

This sounds like a great way to reduce trash and help more kids experience the fun and creativity of LEGO building blocks. It also benefits parents like me who have older kids and crates full of LEGO blocks in the attic. If the initial test of the LEGO Replay program is successful, it may be expanded beyond the U.S. next year.