Image by malecution.
I’ve read a lot of articles about going “green” and sustainable with sex toys — and I wrote one about ecosexuals myself, plus all the press around the major vibrator recycling program they have at the wonderful LoveHoney UK. But this article at Alternet is a quite complete and up to date article about going green not just with toys but also with porn. I mean, think of all the waste in DVDs, boxcovers, plastic and trash we’re saving by using sites like YouPorn!? Here’s an interesting snip from the middle, where I found out about US based (Florida!) sex toy recycling program (Dreamscapes), and a 24-hour sex toy bicycle delivery service (Kinky Llama) in Chicago — wheee!
Dreamscapes LLC, an eco-friendly adult-products company out of Tampa, Fla., certified by the Institute for Green Business, recently started an innovative program where the public can send in their unwanted novelty items — the Island of Misfit Sex Toys, as it were.
President and CEO David Kowalsky says Dreamscapes offers a 90-day guarantee on all products, and one day, in noticing items returned, he thought it didn’t seem right to just give them a toss. In keeping with Dreamscapes’ green philosophies, he figured out a way to recycle them. The products are first cleaned and then taken apart.
“Say it’s a programmable multispeed vibrator,” Kowalsky says. “The plastic shell is removed. The silicone computer chip is taken out, the motor is put into a separate bin, the rubber or silicone is separated from that, and then after we have 100 weight of different materials, we send it off to recyclers.”
A variety of companies buy the recycled materials and makes items, from handbags to tabletops, out of it, and yes, they do make sure the companies they deal with, which are all domestic, know where the materials come from. Since beginning the program in December, Kowalsky says, 600 individuals have sent in old toys to Dreamscapes and why not? You get $10 off on a future Dreamscapes purchase as an incentive for more good green fun.
Pedaling Sex
Larry Fessenden says that the Web is the greenest way to deliver entertainment, but what about by bicycle? We just had to give the nod to Chicago’s Antony Mikrut, who started a 24-hour sex toy bike courier service in the Chicago area because — one supposes — sometimes at 3 a.m. your partner and your own dexterity just aren’t enough. (…read more, alternet.org)
Dear Violet, I searched back thru your blog to find this post because it’s relevant to my question. I find myself mourning the loss of one of my favorite vibes. I want to be a good, green girl and recycle it, but am finding it difficult to figure out where.
When you first posted this and mentioned Dreamscape, I saved the link. In today’s search I find they’ve evidently gone out of business. My email to them was returned forthwith. (I always wanted to use “forthwith” in a sentence). I tried finding other means via Google, but the closest I got was ScarletGirl.com in Portland. Meh – their products and parties are hokey, imo.
Any idea who’s the up-and-comer, if you will, in the field of recycling used sex toys?