Sprues are the plastic connectors on which minis and other plastic game components are made and shipped. They’re plastic grids from which you must twist, cut and otherwise free your figures, and sometimes there’s more plastic in them than in models.
Plastics are often, not always, a problem to overcome when it comes to the significant and still weirdly controversial matter of not killing the planet. Sprues aren’t microplastics, but as an example of the plastic menace, a recent study found that there might be as much as a plastic spoon of microplastics in our brains.
Now, in the Twin Cities, Duluth, MN, and Madison, WI, Atlas Games who make games like Never Bring a Knife, Fast & Fhtagn, Corruption and Let’s Kill, are launching a sprue recycling program. It’s free and open to retailers. Atlas is encouraging retailers elsewhere to mail their sprues to them.
Atlas Games told the press that they have already been working with stores in advance of this official launch, including Tower Games (Minneapolis, MN), Noble Knight Games (Fitchberg, WI), Hobbytown (Hermantown, MN), Rogue Robot (Duluth, MN), and Level Up Games (Superior WI).
John Nephew, co-owner of Atlas Games, said;
We’re excited help reduce waste in the hobby games industry, with the help of our retail partners. Plastic miniatures sprues and runners are a really common waste product in game stores. We’ve found a way to recycle them by remaking them into game accessories for our Replay Workshop line, which is available through distributors now. It really is possible to give sprues a circular lifecycle, it turns out.”
Wes Smrcka, Hermantown Hobbytown owner, added,
When people first heard about it, we had a huge pile right away. They’d been just storing their sprues inside the model boxes in their basement, because they didn’t want to throw them into the garbage. Now everyone’s welcome to bring in their sprues.”
Atlas Games will use the sprues in their Replay Workshop line, which sells recycled game accessories.
