Lego is testing a way for customers to ship their unwanted bricks back and get them into the hands of other kids. Customers in the United States can print out a mailing label on its site, dump their used Lego bricks in a box and ship them free. Lego said the pieces will be cleaned, put into boxes and given to Teach for America, a nonprofit group that will donate them to U.S. classrooms. Some bricks will be also sent to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston for their after-school programs.
Lego said if the test is successful, it may expand the program beyond the United States next year. The company typically tells its customers to keep their bricks or pass them on to others. But some have asked for another way to donate them, said Tim Brooks, Lego’s vice president of environmental responsibility.
Lego, like other big brands, is looking to please customers worried about discarded plastics’ impact on the environment. Plastics don’t disintegrate but can break down into tiny pieces and be eaten by birds or other wildlife, endangering their health. The company is also working to find other materials for its colorful bricks.