How to Recycle Car Seats

Many people want to know how to recycle car seats to avoid contributing to landfill overflow. If your car seat is expired or recalled, has been in a crash, or you’re unsure of its history, it’s time to prepare your car seat for the recycling center or trash. If you are certain that your car seat is safe, you have the option to donate it.

EditSteps

EditPreparing Your Car Seat for Recycling

1. Contact a local car seat trade-in program to recycle your intact car seat. Certain retail stores that sell new baby gear have trade-in programs that will take your used car seat for its recyclable parts. Some stores even offer a discount on a new car seat or a coupon for baby gear in exchange for your old car seat. ^[1]
   
   • Call the store where your car seat came from or look online to see if they offer any car seat trading programs.
2. Ask if your car seat is accepted by your local recycling program. If you’re unable to trade-in or find a center that will take your car seat, you are able to dismantle the car seat and put it into your own recycling pile at home if they will take it.^[2]
   
   • Call your local recycling center to find out if they accept plastics from car seats.
3. Remove all fabric, padding, and straps from the car seat. Take off the fabric car seat cover and padding, using scissors to cut away areas attached to the plastic. Cut the straps and remove them from the rest of the car seat.^[3]
   
   • You will most likely have to put these parts of your car seat in the trash.
4. Use a Phillips-head screwdriver to remove metal pieces. Remove as many metal pieces from the plastic base as possible with a screwdriver. Some pieces may be difficult to remove, but try to remove all the metal pieces if you can.^[4]
   
5. Place separated plastic and metal pieces in your recycling container. Recycle the separated plastic and metal pieces from your car seat into your recycling pile according to your local recycling standards. Find out the guidelines for recycling plastics and metals in your area by contacting your local recycling program.^[5]
   

EditDonating Your Car Seat

1. Check the date of manufacture or expiration. Car seats regulations are constantly updated, and after 6 years they are considered too old to be safe. Some car seats come with a clearly labeled expiration date, which will be visible on a sticker underneath the car seat. Other car seats simply have a manufacture date underneath.^[6]
   
   • If your car seat has passed its expiration date, do not donate it.
   • If your car seat is 6 years past your car seat’s manufacture date, do not donate it.
2. Verify that your car seat has never been in an accident. Even minor crashes can create small damages in car seats that make them unsafe. If you bought your car seat brand new and you know that you have never been in any accident with it, you can consider donating it.^[7]
   
   • If you received your car seat secondhand and are not sure of its previous accident history, it is safest not to donate it.
3. Check the model number to see if your car seat was recalled. The model number for your car seat is located on the bottom of the car seat or in your car seat’s manufacturer pamphlet. Car seats are occasionally recalled when they are found to be unsafe.^[8]
   
   • The U.S. Department of transportation keeps a list of car seats that have been recalled in the past 10 years. Visit https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/childseat.cfm to access the updated list of recalled car seats.
   • Do not attempt to donate a car seat that has been recalled.
4. Don’t donate your car seat if it’s ever been cleaned with bleach. Bleach and other harsh cleaning chemicals can cause your car seat straps to lose strength and the may not properly restrain a child in an accident.^[9]
   
   • If your car seat has possibly ever been cleaned with harsh commercial cleaning chemicals, it is safest not to donate it.
5. Use an evaluation form to donate used car seats. If your car seat 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 organization providing family services such as women’s shelters or clothing banks.^[10]
   
   • Fill out the SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. evaluation form at http://carseat.org/Resources/434.pdf and attach it to a car seat you are giving away.
   • Many thrift stores and secondhand stores cannot accept used car seats. Your best bet is finding another family service organization or a friend who is willing to take your used car seat.

EditThrowing Your Car Seat in the Trash

1. Remove all fabric, padding, and straps from the car seat. Take off the fabric car seat cover and padding, using scissors to cut away areas attached to the plastic. Cut the straps and remove them from the rest of the car seat.^[11]
   
2. Use a Phillips-head screwdriver to remove metal pieces. Remove as many metal pieces from the plastic base as possible with a screwdriver. Some pieces may be difficult to remove, but try to remove all the metal pieces if you can.^[12]
   
3. Mark the bare plastic car seat as EXPIRED or UNSAFE. This will deter people from taking your car seat from the curb and trying to reuse it. The remaining plastic seat should be marked so that people will not try to take it from your recycling pile to reuse.
   
   • With a permanent marker, write the words “EXPIRED” or “UNSAFE” in large letters on different sides of the plastic car seat base.^[13]

EditWarnings

• If you're unsure if your car seat is expired, don't donate it, since it could be dangerous to other children.
• Never put your car seat on the curb without labeling it as EXPIRED or UNSAFE.

EditSources and Citations

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