How to Recycle Old Car Seats
When you're finished with a child car seat, it's difficult to think of simply tossing it into the trash when most of the materials it's made from are recyclable. Unfortunately, due to the way they're made, there are very few recycling options for them.
Car seats cannot be used if they've expired or have been in an accident (with certain minor accidents excepted). Standard recycling centers often do not accept car seats because they lack the necessary staff to disassemble and sort all the pieces. Some communities have combined recycling and installation events, however, or you can take the seat apart and sort it yourself.
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Instructions
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Determine whether your car seat is still safely usable by checking its expiration date. This will be stamped onto the seat, on the tag, or in the user manual. If you do not know when the seat expires, you will need to throw it into the trash or recycle the pieces.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), if your car seat has been in any kind of accident--except for minor crashes that meet certain strict criteria--it cannot be reused.
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Regift your safe, unexpired car seat to friends and family. Regifting is the best form of recycling for a car seat that is still safe to use. Be sure to include the original owner's manual if at all possible.
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Call your local fire department or community recycling center to find out if there are car seat recycling events in your area, such as the one available in Portland Oregon (see link in References).
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If no recycling events are available in your area, take the car seat completely apart. Cut off and remove all straps, the cover fabric, and the foam cushion. Sort each item into the appropriate recycling bin for your neighborhood. Any section that cannot be reused or recycled should be thrown into the regular garbage.
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Place each piece of the car seat into separate dark colored bags or bins, so that no one can scrounge the parts together and use a dangerous car seat.
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Tips & Warnings
If you are unable to recycle the plastic base of the car seat, saw it in half or break it with a hammer to ensure no one is able to use it.
