Recycling children's car seats. Who knows of an environmentally friendly way to get rid of old car seats?

Question

I have a bunch of old kids' car seats that are no longer in use. Handing them down to others is no longer feasible because of expiry dates on the seats and the possibility of lawsuits. I've heard of programs that recycle shoes and wonder if anyone knows of such a thing for the kids' old car seats?

Answer 1

I've seen quite a few posted on freecycle. Personally when our daughter grows out of her carseat we would like to get another off freecycle to keep the costs down.  As it is not for profit there doesn't seem to be any reason for people to be dishonest about them not being in an accident (which could obviously mean they are less safe).

Answer 2

There is a lady who is looking for a carseat~ her son was in an accident this week and cannot use it anymore~ I would suggest posting it for someone who needs one asap! Thanks!

Answer 3

if you can not "free-cycle" them, then another alternative would be to remove all the hardware and material and recycle the plastic. I don't know how crafty you are or if you used them for you kids but I took my oldest daughters car seat, playbed cover crib sheet ETC and made her a very large blanket after cutting it into pieces, she still uses the blanket too and she is 16 now, its fun for memories to the child.chalk this one up to a crafty Mom of 10 kids, my Mom used to do this with all our old stuff, we loved it when we could sit around on a winter day and she would sit down with us and show us the clothes we can home from the hospital in, our favorite shirt as a toddler ETC

Answer 4

salvation army, thrift store drop off boxes etc. someone can use them saving them money and negating the need to make a new one.

reduce

reuse

recycle

Answer 5

I'm not really sure about recycling them. I agree with the person who originally asked the question- car seats past the expiration date stamped on the seat or on the label should NOT be donated, or freecycled. Over time the plastic shell and web straps can develop imperceptible defects and become weakened. The only way to discover them is in a serious accident, which would be terrible. Safe, new carseats can be purchased relatively inexpensively and there are assistance programs out there for parents who can not afford them.

Seats that have expired should be destroyed before putting them to the curb or recycle plant. Minimally, the straps should be cut and removed, and ideally the shell should be broken, such as with a sledgehammer. I am not sure if local recyclers will accept the seats, you might check with the manufacturer for more information.

If a seat has not passed that date of expiration and has never been in an accident, by all means pass it on and let someone else get the remaining use out of it.

Kids are too important to risk their lives using a carseat  that is past the expiry date.

Answer 6

you can take baby stuff to life choices on south main street and if they are not open you can leave the stuff on the porch there and they will get it. it is next to the drug store on south main street in phillipsburg new jersey

Answer 7

If you are a bit of a Handy Man (or woman), you could make a more stable frame for the seat to sit in - so it will stand safely on the floor without flipping backwards. Remember to remove the straps entirely. It can be used as a comfortable seat for a toddler while watching TV or just having an afternoon nap.

If you can't reuse in one manner, try another!