'Mum, dad, can I have that, please, please, please?!' Many people experience that cry on a regular basis as they meander past the magazine section in a shop. What is it the children want? Plastic toys, of course! 

When I looked, nearly every single children's  magazine was encased in plastic wrap, or had shiny plastic toys on. Naturally, the companies want to make money but at what price to the planet? 

These magazines target children, some even  encourage environmental responsibility, but then they have  mass-produced, mostly flimsy, plastic items attached, which will probably be broken, forgotten about and have to be thrown away after a few days/weeks, if they can't be recycled. This seems ridiculous and irresponsible! 

The content of some of the magazines can be really good, so why stick this stuff on the front - most young children wouldn't care if it wasn't there! Parents, carers and people who generally care about the world probably don't want it either! 

Wouldn't it be so easy to end this practice?! Please, publishers, put the effort  into making interesting, fun, recyclable magazines, not into useless, wasteful plastic toys!