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Take a Toy, Leave a Toy, Love the Ocean

Did you know?

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High tides sweep plastic toys from the beach into the marine ecosystem where they can be mistaken for food by aquatic animals or end up contributing to ocean plastic patches

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Over 700 species of aquatic animals (including whales, dolphins and sea lions) are known to ingest or become entangled in ocean plastic annually–leading many to become injured or die

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HDPE, a plastic used in many sand toys, persists  in the environment for up to 600 years

Our Initiatives

Sand Toy Recycle Stations

The Sand Toy Recycle Project, a 501(c)3, is dedicated to reducing ocean plastic pollution by providing "Take a Toy, Leave a Toy" stations for children's sand toys at beaches. Our mission is to protect marine life, educate beachgoers about ocean plastic pollution, and help every child enjoy the beach with access to free, reused toys.

Educational Campaigns

We conduct educational campaigns to raise awareness about the impact of plastic toys left on the sand and the harm they cause to marine ecosystems. Through engaging activities, we inspire children and adults to become part of the solution.

Community Engagement

Here in San Diego, California, we are building a community of environmentally conscious individuals committed to keeping plastic toys out of the marine ecosystem. We invite you to join us in this mission by partnering with us at a beach near you.

Our Approach

The Sand Toy Recycle Project's mission is to reduce plastic pollution's devastating impact on marine life by providing "Take a Toy, Leave a Toy" stations wrapped with informative graphics at beaches. These stations encourage beachgoers to deposit and reuse sand toys so that they do not become ocean pollution at high tide. In this way, we hope to both safeguard marine life and help every child enjoy the beach with access to free, reused sand toys.

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Our sand toy recycling stations feature infographics that explain how plastic toys left on the beach harm marine life. Through both these educational messages and the space our sand toy recycling stations provide for depositing toys, our aim is to keep plastic toys out of the marine ecosystem, one beach at a time.  

We are headquartered in beautiful Encinitas, California in San Diego County and our goal is to carry our mission and our sand toy recycling stations to beaches around the world.

For more information, email us at TheSandToyRecyclingProject@gmail.com.

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