NZ’s first sex toy recycling programme launched

June 23, 2021
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New Zealand’s largest online adult retailer has launched a sex toy recycling programme. 

Adult Toy Mega Store is now allowing Kiwis to send back their unwanted electronic, metal and glass adult toys to its Wellington warehouse. If it’s been purchased at the online retailer, the sender will get a $10 voucher in return. 

The items must be sterilised before being sent. The retailer’s recycling partner will then strip, store, and send the materials to South Korea in bulk. There, it will be stripped for recycling and hazardous substances will be “ethically and safely disposed of”, the company said.

Natasha Bull, who manages the recycling programme, said adult sex toys aren’t easy to dispose of ethically. 

“So, we’ve been working on this programme for quite some time and we’re excited to be able to provide this option to our customers."

Circuit boards in good quality could be sent to Umicore, a recycling and technology group in Belgium. 

Meanwhile, metal sex toys and other metal products will be shipped in bulk to Germany for extraction, sorting, and pressing into bales. They will then be melted and reformed. 

PVC and silicone parts would be disposed of safely at a class one landfill , Bull said. 

“The processes needed for breaking down materials like silicone and PVC are not currently available locally, but we intend to find solutions and are actively looking to partner with local businesses and find ways that our recycled materials can be put to good use here in New Zealand,” she said.

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