Every parent can relate: too many cheap toys lying around the house, collecting dust, clogging your floorspace and stubbing your toes. But just because they're junk doesn't mean you should junk 'em. Parent Hacks tosses out some useful recycling advice, from "re-goodie-ing" party favors to a teacher's classroom (or a doctor's office), to holding a garage sale where the kids take the profits, to giving them away to a local charity. (See donation tips at eHow, and search for local children's charities in the U.S. at Local Indpendent Charities of America.) One thing not to do: heat these toys in the dishwasher or otherwise. With cheap toys that are not made from safe and recycled/able material (like cradle-to-cradle plastics), heat can release carcinogenic chemicals and plasticizers known to cause developmental problems in animals. Another idea: help resist your child's urge to get these toys to begin with, and opt for more durable and fulfilling toys that foster your kid's imagination, and aren't saddled with so many hidden environmental and social costs.

Now, what about all that junk food that Halloween is about to unleash upon our kids? The comments are open...

: : Parent Hacks via : : Lifehacker.

Cut Solar Subsidies? Update with Vinod Khosla

Eco-Tips: Jimmy Carter's Sweater