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An unnamed Wellington company will disassemble the sex toys, including circuit boards, and store materials for recycling. (File photo)
Unwanted sex toys are to be removed and their parts shipped around the world as part of a recycling program set up by an online adult store in Wellington.
Adulttoymegastore is asking people to send their unwanted adult electronic, metal and glass toys to their warehouse in Grenada North for recycling.
Adulttoymegastore spokeswoman Natasha Bull said she partnered with a Wellington recycling company that would disassemble the sex toys and store materials until there was enough volume to recycle.
Batteries and circuit boards would be collected and shipped to South Korea, where reusable materials would be removed for recycling and hazardous materials would be safely disposed of, she said.
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Depending on the quality of the circuit board, it can be sent to the recycling company Umicore in Belgium, she said.
Metal or metal sex toys found in products like ball bearings and motors would be shipped in bulk to Germany, where the metals would be extracted, sorted, baleed, melted down and reformed for the next step in their life cycle, she said.
Sex toy parts for which no recycling option was available, such as PVC and silicone, would be sent to landfills, as recommended by the Environment Department, she said.
Adulttoymegastore wanted to hear from companies to come up with solutions for the materials that are currently destined for landfill, she said.
Bull said if the returned product was originally purchased from Adulttoymegastore, the sender would receive a $ 10 discount on their next purchase.
Products must be sterilized before being returned, she said.
Adulttoymegastore has made an effort to implement sustainable practices, such as the move in 2020 to switch all packaging to 100 percent recyclable and compostable materials, she said.
“We know that adult toys are not ethically easy to dispose of, which is why we have been working on this program for some time.”
Adulttoymegastore’s Janelle Cheesman said the program is open to anyone who owns an unwanted sex toy, not just customers.
She said the local company it worked with wanted to remain anonymous because of the nature of the products.
She said she understood that there would be critics of the program and some people are calling it a “green wash,” but the recycling company it worked with advised Adulttoymegastore that it would be environmentally worthwhile to recycle the materials.
“For us this is more of a step in the right direction. We know that we obviously still have a long way to go. “
It has already received positive feedback on the program, she said.
The local recycling company will take health and safety precautions when disposing of the products, including hygiene, she said.
Materials would be stored until there was enough to warrant shipping overseas, she said.
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