In a hobby like Warhammeryou always end up with more plastic than you reasonably know what to do with. Whether it’s one sea of gray models you never got around to doing anything with, or the sprue that all those models came on, any complete project will always come with a lot of waste – and Games Workshop want to do something about it.
The tabletop wargaming company today announced a limited trial for the Warhammer recycling program. Although the plastic sprues (the plastic”frame” to which model pieces are attached) have long been recyclable, the initiative marks the company’s first in-house recycling program. Participating Warhammer stores in the UK, 28 in all, will be rolling out recycling bins for hobbyists to return used sprue, old plastic models and empty paint pots by the end of March. “The ‘why’ is obvious – taking care of Terra is everyone’s responsibility, including us, and this is one little thing we can do to help the effort,” the announcement post reads in part.
There are some limitations to the trial, aside from the small number of stores involved (there are over 130 Warhammer stores in the UK only). First, the program only accepts plastic sprues and miniatures – none of the cast metal or resin products that Games Workshop has produced. It also only accepts Games Workshop-made items for recycling, citing that the company cannot be responsible for thrush and paint pots the chemical composition of which it does not explicitly know. Warhammer fans won’t see a “return” on their recycling either the shape of new models made of old plastic, but that may change as the program develops. “The plastic used in Citadel miniatures is of very high quality and purity, so there are numerous uses for the recycled material elsewhere in the plastic chain, including garden plants, playground equipment or even ping pong tables,” the announcement continues. “Because Citadel miniatures require such high-quality materials, we are not yet able to convert old sprues we have collected from stores back into new models, although we are investigating that for the future.”
But even with these caveats, the program is a big step forward, and one worth supporting. Hopefully, as Games Workshop confirms, the program will eventually roll out in more and more of its stores around the world – and hobbyists will be able to play a small part in making the worlds of Warhammer a little greener beyond the presence of Orcs and goblins.
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