Bill Chee, Bong Jia Hui, Emily Ellisha Ng Qi Li, Low Sheng Wei Ernest, Yeap Yong Ern Joel
Academic Advisor: Dr. Chua Siew Chin
Children’s toys are a large contributor to the plastic waste problem in Singapore. They are mostly made out of unrecyclable plastic, and consumed at a high rate. This is amplified by the fact that the toy market in Singapore is growing. Our project seeks to abate the environmental impact of toys by encouraging parents to make their own upcycled toys for their infants using household waste instead of purchasing commercial off-the-shelf toys. To achieve this, we created a guidebook and a DIY kit to help parents. We then test the receptiveness of parents to this idea through interviews, which are analysed with qualitative coding. We also measure the interest of infants in the toys that are created from waste materials using non-participant observation. Our results indicate that infants are generally indifferent to the upcycled toys in comparison to commercial toys. Parents also have a positive response to the DIY kit and guidebook, and suggested that they are willing to give upcycling a shot. This evinces that upcycled toys are a suitable substitute for commercial toys, and parents are ready to make their own upcycled toys. From our project, we hope to ultimately motivate parents to upcycle their household waste to toys by demonstrating to them the ease and benefits of doing so.
Keywords: Responsible Consumption, Upcycling, Toys, Infants, Parents, Motivation