Family-Friendly Eco-Swap at Live Green Toronto Festival: Swapsity event aims to keep 10,000 media items out of landfills

Toronto families are invited to help keep 10,000 DVDs, Blu-rays, CDs and vinyl records out of landfills on Saturday, July 16 by bringing their pre-loved media items to Swapsity's Movie Music Eco-Swap at the Live Green Toronto Festival.

Torontonians are encouraged to bring as many gently-used, original discs as they wish to Swapsity's Swap Zone at Yonge and Dundas Square. Kids can join in the recycling fun by swapping the movies they have outgrown for a few new selections from our family-friendly section. Participants will receive one swap token for each item they drop off, which serves as swap currency. All media is considered of equal value. For instance, drop off Disney's Tangled on DVD and take home Toy Story 3 on Blu-ray. Live Green Toronto Membership Card holders will also get a special bonus--one extra swap token. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Event details and swapping guidelines are available at www.swapsity.ca. Spread the word by using the hashtag #SwapZoneTO on Twitter.

Today's children are well on their way to becoming the most environmentally conscious generation yet. Parents can help by encouraging everyday green habits. Swapping is just one of the ways to introduce kids to recycling and reusing items. Before taking part in the Movie Music Eco-Swap, families can de-clutter their media collection and set aside a pile of discs children no longer use. Parents can explain that these unwanted items still have value and can be swapped for something new instead of being thrown out. DVDs and CDs are primarily made of polycarbonate plastics and take hundreds of years to completely decompose while burning these items releases harmful toxins. Any leftover items will be donated to Goodwill.

"Swapping instils good values in children, such as recycling, sharing, and saving. They will discover, first hand, just how much fun recycling can be," says Marta Nowinska, Swapsity founder.

Torontonians wanting to recycle but unable to attend the event can drop off their pre-loved media items at Green Instead, open Tuesday to Saturday, located at 200 Spadina Ave., 2nd Floor before July 15.

The Live Green Toronto Festival, Toronto's annual celebration of all things green, will feature live music, kids' play area and hundreds of green products and services--home, fashion, food, energy, wellness and more--exhibited along Yonge Street, from Dundas to Queen. To learn more about the Live Green Toronto Festival on July 16, visit:www.toronto.ca/greentorontofestival.

Swapsity is a Toronto-based swapping community dedicated to building a more collaborative, consumption-conscious and sustainable lifestyle through barter. Toronto residents can visit www.swapsity.ca to swap virtually any item, skill or service with like-minded Canadians for free, online or at one of our face-to-face swap meets.