How to Recycle a Car Seat

Car Seat Recycling

If your child is ready for his or her next car seat, or has outgrown car seats entirely, you may be wondering what to do with the old one. You can donate it, sell it or participate in a car seat recycling program where you can earn a discount on a new car seat. There are several considerations to take, however, before you pass the car seat on to a new child. 

Keeping your kids safe on the road is so important! Recycle old car seats when they are past their prime.

Car seats, designed to keep a child who doesn’t yet meet the height or weight requirements for a regular seat safe, are expensive. Because children grow so quickly, car seats also can be quite the investment you have to make every few years. You may dread shopping for a new car seat, and, if you are are like me, you may not even be sure what you are supposed to do with the old one.

If you aren't sure what type of car seat your child should be in, no worries! Children should be in car seats until the age of 12, and shouldn't ride in the front seat of a vehicle until age 13 (these are, however, recommendations, and not laws). I did an entire article for Zulily about when a child can ride in a booster seat and the article is jam-packed with info. Click here to read it! 

Car Seat Recycling: When to Toss an Old Car Seat

Consider Your Car Seat’s Expiration Date

Just like food, car seats come with an expiration date. This date is printed on every car seat and can usually be found on the side or back of a car seat. A car seat’s expiration date is six years after the date it was manufactured.

If you are like me, you might be thinking this date is just a suggestion. In my house, we don't toss cereal boxes on their expiration date unless the cereal tastes off. So... Dates are a little arbitrary. I wondered if car seat expiration dates were the same way. 

However, with car seats, the expiration dates does matter. This date matters because it is the length of time the manufacturer can guarantee the frame of the car seat will hold up in the event of an accident. After that date, the integrity of the structure can no longer be relied upon to protect a child in the event of a collision. If your car seat is past its expiration date, it should be tossed- it should not be donated or given to friends.

When your child outgrows her car seat, before you pass it on or try to sell it, check the expiration date and check for recalls. The car seat may simply need to be disposed of. 

BOLO: Time to Toss Your Car Seat if it has been Recalled

It may feel hard to keep up with the number of car seat recalls that hit the market every year, but they are important to pay attention to. If a car seat is recalled, it is because that car seat is no longer a safe spot for your kiddo.

If your car seat has been recalled, you can do a couple of things with it:

- Toss it

- Recycle it

- Figure out what part of the car seat is recalled and apply the appropriate repairs. For example, if a car seat's safety latch is recalled, the company may offer to send out free safety latch repair kits. You can apply this fix and then continue to use the car seat. However, you should only try to fix the recalled car seat if the manufacturer offers this fix. Do not try to fix it yourself using aftermarket pieces.

Not sure if your car seat has been recalled or just want to check? The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration keeps an updated recall list here. 

Your Car Seat has been Involved in an Accident

If your car seat has been involved in an accident, however minor, it is time for the car seat to go. If your airbags deployed in an accident, even if there were no injuries to passengers, you need a new car seat.

That may seem like overkill- car seats are expensive! This one is fine! There are no outward signs of trauma to this car seat. It's fine. However, just because you can't see any problems, it doesn't mean they don't exist. If your car seat has been involved in an accident, it's time to get a new one. The structural integrity may have been compromised, and, just because you can't see anything wrong, it doesn't mean there aren't problems. Better safe than sorry. 

If there was an insurance claim pertaining to the accident, check with your insurance company! They should be able to provide you with some money to put toward the purchase of a new car seat. 

 

Car Seat Recycling: Disposing of Old Car Seats

 Recycling an Old Car Seat

If your car seat is past the expiration date, or if it has been involved in an accident of any type, that car seat should be recycled or thrown away rather than donated or passed on to others. To find places that will accept your old car seat, check out recycleyourcarseat.org. Different recycling centers will have different requirements for recycling your old car seat, so be sure to check out any steps you have to take beforehand. You can also go to carseatrecycling.com, and, for a fee, purchase a kit that will enable you to recycle your car seat quickly and easily regardless of where you live or the car seat’s brand. You will even receive a coupon to apply to the purchase of a new car seat from Clek. 

Throwing Away an Old Car Seat 

If there aren't any recycling centers near you, you may need to simply toss your car seat in the garbage. In order to ensure that your car seat is not plucked from the curb by well-meaning garbage pickers, try to make your car seat undesirable by cutting straps or damaging the car seat in other ways. If the car seat is past its expiration date or has been involved in an accident or a recall, it is not safe to be reused.

Recycling Programs and Trade-In Events at Nationwide Retailers

Nationwide retailers like Target and Walmart usually do a national trade-in program yearly that enables you to bring an old car seat in to recycle and receive a discount toward a new car seat in exchange. Target's took place in April of 2021, and Walmart has yet to announce a 2021 trade-in date, but the 2019 event was huge so it may make a comeback in 2021.