Eco-friendly dog toys made from recycled materials are the new products of choice for eco-conscious dog owners. Learn why people choose these recyclable dog toys and where to buy yours.
Every pet owner is a nature lover and animal-friendly materials enthusiast, evident in how they care for and cherish their plush pets, including dogs. An important part of caring for your furry friends is providing pet products like plush play toys made of friendly materials to keep them active and healthy. So, how do you choose plush toys made of eco-friendly materials that meet this need and promote environmental sustainability? This article discusses everything you need to know about Eco-Friendly dog toys – the best option for your dogs.
What Are Eco-Friendly Pet Toys?
Eco-friendly pet toys are toys manufactured from environmentally friendly and sustainable materials. Toys manufactured with friendly materials and minimal harm to the environment also fall under this category.
These recyclable toys made of friendly materials assure safety for the environment, fun, and colors for your pets. Manufacturers make them from environmentally sustainable materials and methods. Unlike traditional dog toys that could be toxic to your dogs, these fun toys made from pet-friendly materials are safe. Your dogs can chew, play, and exercise with them without any negative health impacts.
Eco-friendly and recyclable toys are especially beneficial to the environment. First, the raw materials are produced without toxic chemicals to protect the ecosystem. Then, after their useful life, these products are cleanly recycled without negative impacts on the environment. Most eco-friendly materials are also degradable and decompose cleanly into the natural cycle upon disposal.
Eco-conscious pet owners favor these toys over traditional ones for these and many other reasons. If you want the best for your pet and Mother Earth, choose eco-friendly dog toys over traditional ones.
Why Consider Eco-Friendly Toys for Your Dogs
With approximately 80 million pet dogs in the United States, the demand for play toys is high. These toys are not just for fun; they directly impact your dog's health. Dogs, even puppies, have strong teeth that can chew through most plastics, which can be harmful. Therefore, the quality of the toy is crucial for your pet’s health.
Additionally, dogs play vigorously and destroy their toys, warranting frequent replacement. So, it helps to consider getting durable toys. Eco-friendly toys made from natural and organic materials are more durable than regular toys. So, this healthy option also helps you to cut costs on your pet’s maintenance.
More importantly, you must also consider the disposal of your pet toys when choosing which to purchase. Statistics show that traditional dog toys contribute about 40,500 tons of waste occupying US landfills annually. You could help curb this by choosing eco-friendly and recyclable dog toys for your canine family.
Not only are sustainable dog toys safer for your pets, but they also positively impact the environment. Choosing eco-friendly toys will reduce plastic waste in landfills, helping to protect our planet for future generations.
Types of Eco-Friendly Dog Toys
Many pet owners still find the concept of eco-friendly pet toys abstract. When you talk about toys, they readily picture a plastic, shiny, or plushy thingy their pets can occupy themselves with. However, considering functionality, pet toys can vary greatly, even in material.
There are various types of eco-friendly toys for your dogs, based on their method and material of production. Many of these sustainable dog toys are readily available, even in online stores, and you can also make some yourself. Thus, this section discusses three major types of eco-friendly toys for canines based on their material and method of production.
1. Dog Toys Made From Natural and Organic Material
Many eco-friendly toys are made from natural and organic materials. These raw materials confer the finished products their eco-friendly status, such as sustainable dog toys. There are many natural and organic materials suitable for making eco-friendly toys. Some of these include:
● Natural rubber
● Organic Wool
● Recycled cotton (Shoddy)
● Wool (Responsibly sourced)
● Recycled polyester
● Hemp
● Jute
● Organic cotton
Not only natural materials produce eco-toys. You can also get these toys from organic materials. Organic materials are those produced from environmentally sustainable processes. Organic cotton and wool for example are produced without synthetic chemicals. So, when these organic materials can only produce eco-friendly and degradable toys.
2. Eco-Friendly Toys From Recycled Material
Eco-friendly toys are not all made from natural and organic materials. Manufacturers also produce eco-friendly pet toys from synthetic materials such as non-toxic and recyclable plastic.
Remember, a toy is eco-friendly when its production, use, and disposal do not harm the users or the environment. So, non-toxic and recyclable plastics qualify as eco-friendly materials capable of producing eco-friendly products.
Thus, some brands produce eco-friendly canine toys from recycled plastics, which are harmless to your furry friends. Notably, you can recycle these toys at the end of their lifespan. These toys are made as recycling products, and you can still recycle them for other purposes upon disposal.
This section has shown that not all plastic toys are harmful to your dogs or the environment. So, always check the specifications for your toys when purchasing to ensure you’re buying eco-friendly plastic toys. This way, you’ll get a safe toy for your dog. Then, dispose of them properly for recycling at the end of their useful life.
3. DIY Eco-Friendly Toys From Safe Materials
Another popular type of eco-friendly dog toy is the home-crafted toy made from safe and sustainable materials. Some dog owners make their dog toys themselves. It can be as simple as a rope toy or a sock puppet for dog toys.
You can make an eco-friendly rope toy from natural rubber or jute materials. Rope toys are good tug toys your dogs will enjoy playing with. You’ll produce a durable dog toy if you can make strong knots on jute or natural rubber rope.
You can also make sock puppets or stuffed animal toys. Simply sew an animal pattern, like for dog toys, from any recycled cotton, wool, and polyester material. Then, stuff them with shoddy and close them up to produce a durable and eco-friendly toy for your dogs.
More than aesthetics, eco-friendly toys are important for their functionality. So, if you can access a sustainable material and design a playful shape for your dog, you’re good to go. DIY toys are cheaper and provide an opportunity to spend your leisure producing them. If you can produce this type of toy, you’ll likely never lack toys for your canine family however large.
Benefits of Using Eco-Friendly and Recyclable Dog Toys
It takes extra effort to seek and find eco-friendly dog toys; most times, it even costs extra. So, you may wonder why eco-conscious owners make this sacrifice and go the extra mile for a simple plaything. It may surprise you to learn about the numerous benefits of using eco-friendly and recyclable dog toys.
They are both short and long-term benefits, as well as small and large-scale rewards. This section explores some of these practical benefits for all parties.
1. Improved Safety for Your Furry Friends
Most dog owners consider their pets part of their families and prioritize their safety as they do for children. Dogs spend hours nibbling, biting, and chewing on their toys. As they do, the system, through their saliva, interacts with the dog toy materials. Depending on what dog toys they chew, a neutral or negative reaction could occur.
Using eco-friendly materials, like non-toxic plastic and organic materials, ensures neutral reactions. Conversely, toys made from toxic material deposit chemical residues in your canine system, resulting in poor health.
Unfortunately, this phenomenon relies on the compounding effect. So, your dog may not immediately get sick by playing with traditional toys; the effects only become visible with time. Pet owners who truly care about their canine family strive to prevent this by using only eco-friendly toys.
2. Positive Impact on the Environment
Everybody wants to live on cleaner and greener earth, but very few work to make the environment more sustainable. Eco-conscious pet owners are among those who put in the work to make that wish a reality. When they purchase and use eco-friendly toys, they help to save the planet in their own way. How so, you may wonder? Here’s how.
Ecofriendly pet toys are made from natural, organic, and recyclable materials. So, when they exhaust their useful life, you dispose of them through clean degradation, decomposition, or recycling. Do not accumulate in landfills, causing land pollution. Similarly, you don’t need to incinerate them and pollute the air.
That is another core benefit of eco-friendly toys – they protect and preserve their environment. If every pet owner use these dog toy options, it could reduce tons of landfill waste and carbon pollution.
3. Saves You Money in the Long Term
Natural, organic, and recyclable materials are more expensive than those used for manufacturing traditional dog toys. Consequently, eco-friendly dog toys are more expensive than regular ones. However, this is only a short-term advantage over eco-toys.
Although marginally more expensive, eco-friendly pet toys are much more durable than traditional ones. So, you’ll save more money in the long term when you use them. That is because you don’t have to replace them too soon or frequently. You only need to find the right size for your dog to use for an extended time.
If you’re a breeder who is always adding to your canine family, toy size or dog toys should not bother you. A single eco-toy can serve several generations of pups and mature dogs without deteriorating. Undoubtedly, that will save you reasonable bucks for dog care.
4 Tips for Choosing the Right Eco-Friendly Toy for Your Dog
Like food, your canine pals will have preferences for their play toys. At the same time, you know them better and know what toys suit them most. Remember, dog toys are also exercise equipment to keep them active, fit, and healthy. Thus, this section highlights tips to help you choose the right eco-friendly dog toys to achieve your goals.
1. Consider Your Dog’s Mannerism To Discern Preference
If you’re seeking a simple play object for your dog, you don’t need too many considerations. Simply observe your dog’s mannerisms to discern its best-fit toy. For example;
● If your dog likes to bite and chew, get a simple toy like the Money Bag Chew Toy. This eco-friendly toy made of natural rubber is great for average chewers. You can even stuff it with treats to keep your dog busy and refreshed.
● You can buy the Customized Color Exercise Chewing Ball if your dog likes to fetch and retrieve. It is an exciting toy for long-distance fetches to keep your dog on healthy errands.
● If you have more dogs that love interacting, get a Banana Dog Ring to facilitate tug exercises.
These simple toys not only help your dogs exercise but also keep them from damaging your properties at home. When they have toys to chew and play with, your couch, footwear, and clothes remain safe.
Nevertheless, it is important to get toys that match their manners. If you purchase a retrieval toy for a dog that loves to chew, it’ll likely not play with it. Unless you plan to train your dog for a new habit, get an eco-toy that suits their current habit.
2. Keep Your Dog’s Size and Growth Rate in Mind
Dogs don’t outgrow play; their play strength may peak and decline as they grow old, but they don’t stop playing. However, you can hardly use the same play toy throughout a dog’s life. As they grow, you need to change their toys to fit their size.
Therefore, it helps to buy eco-friendly dog toys intelligently. Before buying a toy, consider your dog’s size and its growth rate to ensure optimal utilization. Remember, eco-toys are durable; your dog will more likely outgrow an eco-toy before its useful life ends. So, it’s best to buy a toy that several dog sizes can use.
Though not many, some toys are made for all dog sizes. These are your best options when training a single furry friend with dog toys. However, do not buy the wrong-sized toy to avoid discouraging the dog from using it.
3. Check for Eco-Friendly Certifications and Labels
When buying eco-friendly and recyclable dog toys, seeking the best value for your money is important. It is improper to pay for eco-toys only to get traditional ones for your dog. So, always try to verify the eco-friendly nature of toys before purchasing them.
You can discern the eco-friendliness of dog toys from their manufactured material. This article already lists some eco-friendly materials for manufacturing dog toys. However, it is not always easy to discern these materials on finished products. For instance, how can you tell if a toy is made from recyclable or non-toxic plastic? That’s a dead end.
The easiest way to ensure you’re buying eco-toys is by checking for eco-friendly certifications and labels. Check the toy label where available to see the material used in its production. Some labels will clearly state that a toy is eco-friendly.
Alternatively, you can strictly purchase toys from a brand with a Certified B Corp Status. Relevant authorities recognize such brands to produce eco-friendly and sustainable products. You can rest assured of an eco-friendly product when you buy your toys from such brands. Ashean Pet is a good example of a brand that produces and sells eco-friendly toys and pet essentials.
4. Choose an Eco-Toy You Can Effectively Use and Maintain
After considering what your dog can play with, you must also consider what you can use and maintain. It may sound absurd, but a good advertisement could entice you to buy a dog toy you cannot use.
For example, if you’re too busy to play with your dog, buying a fetch-and-retrieve toy is a complete waste. Instead, buy chew-or-treating toys to help your dogs play on their own. If you have many canines, buy interacting and tug toys to help them play and exercise together.
It also helps to consider maintenance when purchasing dog toys. Some owners prefer buying toys made from recyclable plastic because they are easier to maintain than wooly or cottony toys. Check yourself, your time, and your environment before deciding which toy to purchase for your beloved canine family.
Which Brand Produces the Best Eco-Friendly Dog Toys?
Ashean Pet is the most popular brand for eco-friendly pet toys. The company’s entire catalog of toys comprises eco-friendly toys made from different sustainable materials. Customer reviews show that our products are highly functional and durable.
The products also meet their labeled eco-friendly specification. So, you can rest assured that you’re purchasing an eco-friendly toy when you shop at Ashean Pet.
You can find Ashean pet toys almost anywhere. They are available in pet stores in some countries around the globe for dog toys. Walmart displays Ashean dog toys in its pet section. You can also find dog toys in online stores like Alibaba.
Check out the Ashean pet toys catalog on our website to find eco-friendly toys for your furry friends. You can also bulk buy and ship toys and pet accessories on this platform for retail sales.
