Used toy donations will help the Earth, delight kids

Wondering what you can do for Earth Day this weekend? One New Jersey-based nonprofit suggests looking no farther than your old toy chest.

Chances are, the hard plastic trucks, dolls and other toys that parents buy their kids this year will one day end up in a landfill. And, once there, they’ll stay there. Forever. Unable to biodegrade. That’s motivating Craig Scott, spokesman for Second Chance Toys. “Obviously it’s our job to take care of the environment, and plastic toys — it’s not good to let them rest in a landfill,” said Scott. “It’s better to put them to good use. We collect these toys and they’re like brand-new toys for a disadvantaged child in our community.” Gently used toys will be accepted Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Comcast Center, 17th Street and JFK Boulevard, Philadelphia. All toys collected will be donated to needy children through the Philadelphia School District’s Head Start program. Scott says his nonprofit has collected more than 100,000 toys since they began in 2006. He hopes to gather another 10,000 this weekend.