Does your toy flash or buzz? Then it’s an electronic appliance.

Electronic toys are often not recognised as electrical appliances and then end up in the rubbish instead of the recycling. This happens to around 7.3 billion toys worldwide every year. As a result, valuable resources are lost and hazardous substances can harm people and the environment. To stop this from happening, we have listed five pointers here to help you recognise electronic toys.

Take a closer look at beeping teddy bears, music devices, talking dolls or pens, racing cars and robots – and then ask yourself: “Does the device run on a battery or power pack?”

“Power” is a sure sign that the toy uses a power supply. In the case of toys, this is typically in the form of a battery or power pack. So, if the packaging says “power”, have a good look to see where the toy gets its power from. As you can see in the next pointer, this power may also come directly from a socket.

This includes slot-car racing tracks, electric model railways, remote-controlled trucks, drones, planes and countless other examples. They all have a remote control or, in the case of racing tracks or model railways, are connected directly to a power supply with a cable, allowing the cars and trains to move on them.

If a toy is programmable via a built-in display or if you first have to download an app to your smartphone or tablet to control it, then it’s an electronic appliance. This includes programmable robots as well as intricate Lego diggers you can control via your phone.

Many knowledge-based games are digital nowadays. This includes learning pens, like Tiptoi or BOOKii, as well as learning computers or tablets for budding little artists. They often work with batteries or have a USB connection and are charged via separate USB cable.