the café with the replay project

Mercearia Bio Café joins the REPLAY project, promoted by Zero Waste Lab and Precious Plastic Portugal, which creates the first collection and sorting network for
end-of-life toys and their transformation into new toys.

THE PROBLEM
Currently, most toys are manufactured from a mixture of different materials, which makes it difficult to recycle in the waste management system - even though most of the plastic and the materials they are made of are recyclable. Another problem is the exponential increase in the number of toys with low quality plastic, normally offered as a gift and with little interest retention. So every year, while 270 million euros in new toys are sold in Portugal, at least 30 millions of units end up in landfills or are incinerated.

THE SOLUTION
Based on the concepts of circular economy, the REPLAY project wants to encourage discussion public and political in Portugal on the lack of recycling solution for so many objects plastics like toys and above all, propose concrete solutions.

REPLAY PROJECT
The REPLAY project begins with the participation of the community. Portuguese families are challenged to perform four steps at home: toy selection, disassembly,
accounting and delivery. Toys disassembled and classified by material may be deposited until May 2021 at the various REPLAY delivery points. The collected plastic will be sent to five Precious Plastic laboratories in the participating cities. Studentsof product design from the School of Arts and Design in Matosinhos and the University of
Évora will be challenged to submit proposals for the development of a new toy - and the winning proposal will be elected through a contest. The last step will be in the hands of Precious Plastic Portugal, who will be responsible for the production of the new toy.

PRECIOUS PLASTIC
Precious Plastic is a global open-source project on a global scale that brings together a set of machines that, through various processes, transform plastic into any object
new. Portugal is part of that network. Precious Plastic Portugal was launched by OpoLab, based in Porto, and which manufactures this set of four machines necessary for the
processing of plastics and distributes them throughout the country and worldwide, namely through laboratories of the five municipalities that are part of the REPLAY pilot project.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE REMAINING PLASTIC AND OTHER WASTE?
The rest of the plastic will be sent to Extruplás, which will transform it into a new ask for playgrounds, ensuring that it promotes the exchange of good quality toys among local families. The electronic components and batteries will be sent to Electrão. You other materials - such as metal, rubber, cardboard and fabric - will be sent to the different national and local recycling flows, or upcycling opportunities.

LONG-TERM OBJECTIVES
Behind the development of the REPLAY network, there is also the ambition to collect the first qualitative and quantitative data on toys and their materials in order to evaluate the feasibility of implementing a new regime for extended liability of the producer (RAP), applicable to the universe of toys in Portugal. In addition to the specific theme of waste, the REPLAY project also intends to open new opportunities to rethink the world of toys and play, which currently raises multiple environmental problems, public health and child development. Throughout this year, cycles of conversations to raise awareness and empower citizens on topics that have not been much discussed in the public sphere, such as the toxicity of toys or the dangers of child marketing, among other important topics.