Danish toymaker Lego is to trial a new scheme in the US allowing customers to send their bricks back so they can be used by other children.

Lego will provide labels for customers so they can put unwanted bricks into boxes and ship them back to the company for free in a scheme called Lego Replay.

Bricks sent back will be cleaned before being given to Teach For America, a non-profit group which will donate the bricks to classrooms across the US, as well as to the Boys & Girls Clubs Of Boston for after-school groups.

Lego says that if the test is successful it plans to extend the programme to other countries next year.

In the past, the company has told customers to keep their bricks, or to pass them on to others.


Image: Lego says it has struggled to find a durable plastic replacement

Lego vice president Tim Brooks said: "The vast majority hand them down to their children or grandchildren. But others have asked us for a safe way to dispose of or to donate their bricks.

"With Replay, they have an easy option that's both sustainable and socially impactful."

"Through play, children develop fine motor skills, think creatively, and can learn how to problem solve through teamwork," said Susan Asiyanbi, Teach For America's chief operating and program officer.

"But not everyone has access to such resources. LEGO Replay, and the instructional resources they provide educators, will help give more students access to this opportunity."

Like other companies, Lego is trying to adapt its plastic use, as customer's environmental concerns increase.

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Plastic does not disintegrate. Instead, it breaks down into small pieces, meaning it can be eaten by wildlife, putting the health of animals and birds at risk.

But the company has found it difficult to find a replacement for plastic which is as durable, Mr Brooks said.

Last year, however, Lego began making trees and bushes from sugar cane.

Hasbro, which makes Monopoly and Mr Potato Head, has said it plans to eliminate plastic use in its packaging by 2022.