Another Reason Dildos Make Men Obsolete

When you're done with a guy, you can't mail him cross-state to be melted down and recycled. But now you can with your dildo.

In December, a Tampa-based sex toys company called Dreamscapes announced that it would begin accepting used vibrators and dildos for recycling. The response ranged from "Hey, that's a good idea!" to "Ewww -- Grody!"

Dreamscapes proprietor David Kowalsky refers to his line of work not as the "adult novelty business" but as the "relationship enhancement industry." His company's mission is to help people develop healthy sex lives.  He can't be shy about human anatomy, sexual pleasure, or bodily fluids.

So, when those packages of used goods come in through the mail -- and so far, about 550 have, he says -- Kowalsky and his three employees snap on rubber gloves, disassemble the toys, and ship parts off to recyclers. Rubber and silicone go to North Carolina, plastics to a New Jersey-based company, and small motors to Texas. He drops used batteries off at Best Buy.

"We've had just a couple of gross things come in," Kowalsky says. Those, he just throws out. "If it's obviously nasty, we don't want anything to do with it."  More than 90 percent of people using his service have been polite about washing their disposed items. 

"I'm the first adult retailer that's an official certified green business," Kowalsky says.  He offers a "green" selection of products on vibratorshopping.com, where most items are phthalate-free, latex-free, and chemical-free.  "The only exception," he says, "are a couple of love dolls in the men's collection."