You can now send your e-waste and metal sex toys back to us to be recycled!

We understand that adult toys aren’t easy to dispose of ethically, so you can send your electronic and metal sex toys back to us to be recycled and we’ll reward you for it!

That’s right, if it buzzes, vibrates, wiggles or pulsates (i.e., it’s battery powered or rechargeable), or is made from metal, you can send it back to us to give its recyclable parts new life.

One of our core values here at Adulttoymegastore (ATMS) is that we are ethical in our practices and we make decisions with the environment in mind. In 2020, we partnered with R3pack and switched our packaging to be 100% recyclable and compostable so we could help our customers ethically dispose of our packaging, but why stop there?

We launched phase 1 of our recycling programme (metal) in May 2021, and phase 2 in June 2021 to include e-waste.

For every approved toy that was originally purchased from Adulttoymegastore that is sent to us to be recycled, we will credit your loyalty account or send you a voucher worth $10 to go towards your next purchase! You will be notified of approval via email to your advised email address.

How the recycling programme works

1. Sterilize the electronic or metal sex toy you want to recycle.
2. Place it in a sealed zip-lock bag (we’ll also recycle this).
3. Pop it in a courier bag with your email address written inside the parcel.
4. Seal the courier bag, write your order number on it, and send to:

ATTN: Recycling Program #(Your order number) 37 Dragon Street Grenada North Wellington 5028

Please ensure "ATTN: Recycling Programme" is clearly displayed along with your order number to ensure your parcel is sorted correctly in our warehouse and you get your $10 credit!

Please note the shipping costs will be at your own expense.

What happens to the products when they're recycled?

Many of the different components within electronic toys are extremely valuable and can help to reduce carbon emissions by utilising waste energy. Here’s a little more about how your e-waste can contribute to reducing harmful emissions and practises worldwide.

Batteries and circuit boards

Batteries and circuit boards from the sex toys are collected and shipped to South Korea where they can strip the reusable materials for recycling, and ethically and safely dispose of the hazardous substances. Depending on the grade of the circuit board, they may be sent to UMICORE, a global materials technology and recycling group in Belgium that works to reduce harmful emissions and works with hundreds of organisations all over the globe to provide sustainable solutions.

Metals

Any metal sex toys, or metal found in the sex toys such as ball bearings and motors, is collected and shipped to Germany where the metals are extracted, sorted, pressed into bales, and smelted down and reformed for the next step in their life cycle! Metal recycling in Germany helps save immense energy and CO2 by using the recycled raw materials in production.

What happens to the materials that can’t be recycled?

Unfortunately, not all components of electronic sex toys have recycling options currently available. Recycling certain materials can be very difficult and costly within New Zealand due to our country not having the infrastructure to support it, which means some parts of the sex toys, such as plastic casing and silicone, will be sent to a class 1 landfill as per the recommendation of the Ministry of Environment.

However, we aim to be able to recycle most sex toy materials and will continue to work towards this goal.

What about hygiene?

Obviously intimate products like sex toys can carry bacteria if not cleaned properly, so it’s important that all items are sterilized and put in a sealed ziplock bag before being sent to us. If the products don't look clean upon being received they will be immediately disposed and no credit will be issued. Health and safety precautions will be taken when handling returned products and throughout the recycling process. Read our guide on how to clean your sex toys and you can purchase sex toy cleaner here.

Can I recycle a sex toy that wasn't purchased from ATMS?

This recycling scheme was created for Adulttoymegastore customers, however we know recycling sex toys in New Zealand is difficult, so we will accept products that weren't purchased from us to be recycled providing they are e-waste or metal and are sterilized. However, non-customers will not be eligible for the $10 credit.

Terms and conditions of the Sex Toy Recycling Programme:

Currently we can only accept metal and e-waste sex toys as part of our recycling programme.

All products sent to us to be recycled must be properly cleaned/sterilized and sealed in a zip-lock inside of the courier packaging. Any plastic used during this process, such as zip-lock bags, will also be recycled.

Your original order number needs to be visible on the parcel, and we request that you write your current email address on the inside of the parcel in case your email address has changed since ordering.

For every approved toy that is sent to us to be recycled, we will credit your loyalty account or send you a voucher worth $10 to go towards your next purchase! You will be notified of approval via email to your provided email address.

We reserve the right to reject toys that are not compliant with the listed materials, and those that are not cleaned properly. If your product is rejected, we will notify you by email.

We are not liable for any postage costs incurred from posting the product to ATMS.

All parcels must have a valid contact email address AND the correct order number to be eligible for the $10 credit.

If you are unsure what your order number is, please contact our Customer Care team with the product and your email address and they will let you know.

If the product wasn't originally purchased from Adulttoymegastore but it is recyclable, we will recycle the product but the sender will not be eligible for the $10 credit.

The $10 store credit is valid for one year and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. These terms are non-negotiable.

What happens in phase three of the recycling programme?

Our vision is to be able to accept every toy we sell to be recycled. In the next phase of our recycling programme we aim to be able to recycle silicone and PVC products.

If you have any questions regarding our recycling programme, or can help us with our next phase of this programme, please email our Customer Care Team at info@adulttoymegastore.co.nz