When Robert von Goeben, a toy designer, heard about his wife's trouble finding safe, U.S.-made toys for their tots his brain whirred with ideas. He teamed up with good friend Laurie Hyman for a brainstorming session and the two knew instantly that they wanted to make toys that were good for the earth and safe for children.

Putting their heads together led them to what growing kids most often drink – milk, and the jugs they come in. Their company, Green Toys, crafts classic children’s toys like dump trucks, blocks and play dishes from recycled plastic milk jugs. The fun line of colorful toys is not only eco-friendly but the plastic used is food-safe and contains no BPA, phthalates, PVC or melamine.

Founder von Goeben is happy to also teach children how the items they throw in the recycle bin find new life, “By using post-consumer recycled plastic, we show kids the real world benefits of recycling.”

Even better for moms? Green Toys makes all of their earth-friendly playthings dishwasher safe. Hooray for easy cleaning!