Many people want to know how to recycle car seats to avoid contributing to landfill overflows. If your car seat is expired or defective, has been in an accident, or you are unsure of its history, it is time to prepare it to take it to the recycling or waste center. If you are sure that the chair is safe, you have the option to donate it.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Prepare the chair for recycling
Step 1. Contact a local car seat trade-in program to recycle your intact seat
Certain retail stores that sell new baby gear have trade-in programs that will accept your used seat for its recyclable parts. Some stores even offer a discount on a new seat or a baby equipment voucher in exchange for the old seat.
Call the store the seat came from or search online to find out if they offer a car seat trade-in program
Step 2. Find out if your local recycling program accepts your chair
If you can't redeem it or find a facility that accepts it, you can take it apart and put it in your own recycling pile at home to take home.
Call your local recycling center to find out if they accept plastic from chairs
Step 3. Remove all fabric, padding, and belts from the chair
Remove the chair's fabric cover and padding with scissors to cut out the areas stuck to the plastic. Cut the belts and remove them from the rest of the chair.
You will probably have to dispose of these parts of the chair
Step 4. Use a Phillips head screwdriver to remove the metal pieces
Remove as many pieces of metal from the plastic base as possible with a screwdriver. Some pieces can be difficult to remove, but try to remove all the metal pieces if you can.
Step 5. Put the separate plastic and metal pieces in your recycling bin
Recycle the chair's separate metal and plastic pieces in your recycling pile, according to local recycling regulations. Find out the guidelines for recycling plastics and metals in your area by contacting your local recycling program.
Method 2 of 3: Donate the chair
Step 1. Check the manufacturing or expiration date
Car seat regulations are constantly updated, and after 6 years they are considered too old to be safe. Some car seats come with a clear expiration date label, which can be visible taped underneath. Other chairs simply have a manufacturing date pasted underneath.
- If the chair has passed its expiration date, don't donate it.
- If it has been more than 6 years since the chair was manufactured, do not donate it.
Step 2. Verify that the chair has never been in an accident
Even minor shocks can create minor damage to chairs and make them unsafe. If you have bought the new chair and you know that it has never been in an accident, you may consider donating it.
If you received the used chair and are not sure of its background, it is safest not to donate it
Step 3. Check the model number to see if the chair was recalled
The chair model number is located on the bottom of the chair or in the manufacturer's brochure. Car seats are occasionally recalled when they are found to be unsafe.
- The US Department of Transportation has a list of car seats that have been recalled in the last 10 years. Visit the website https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/childseat.cfm to access the updated list of recalled chairs.
- Do not try to donate a chair that has been recalled.
Step 4. Do not donate the chair if it has ever been cleaned with bleach
Bleach and other strong cleaning chemicals can cause seat belts to lose their strength and may not restrain a child properly in an accident.
If the chair may have been cleaned with harsh cleaning chemicals, it is safest not to donate it
Step 5. Use an evaluation form to donate used chairs
If your chair is not expired or recalled, has never been in an accident, and has never been cleaned with harsh chemicals, you can donate it to a friend or to an organization that provides family services, such as women's shelters or clothing banks.
- Fill out the SafetyBeltSafe U. S. A. evaluation form at https://www.carseat.org/Resources/434, 3-15-17.pdf and attach it to the chair you are going to give away.
- Many thrift stores cannot accept used chairs. Your best bet is to find another family service organization or a friend who is willing to accept the used chair.
Method 3 of 3: Dispose of the chair
Step 1. Remove all fabric, padding, and belts from the chair
Remove the chair's fabric cover and padding with scissors to cut out the areas stuck to the plastic. Cut the belts and remove them from the rest of the chair.
Step 2. Use a Phillips head screwdriver to remove the metal pieces
Remove as many pieces of metal from the plastic base as possible with a screwdriver. Some pieces can be difficult to remove, but try to remove all the metal pieces if you can.
Step 3. Mark the plastic chair as EXPIRED or UNSAFE
This will prevent people from pulling the chair out of the curb and trying to reuse it. The plastic chair should be marked so that people do not try to remove it from the recycling pile for reuse.
With a permanent marker, write the words "OVERDUE" or "UNSAFE" in large letters on the different sides of the base of the plastic chair
Warnings
- If you are not sure if the chair is expired or not, do not donate it, as it can be dangerous for other children.
- Never place the chair on the curb without labeling it EXPIRED or UNSAFE.