How should I dispose of an expired car seat?

We received an email asking us what to do with a car seat once it has expired. This is a great question and is the perfect follow-up for the "Do car seats have expiration dates?" post.  Thanks Kim B. for the question.

It's important to ensure that the seat is not reused by any parent for their child.  One effective way to do this is to remove the harness and dispose of it separately. Remove the padding, break it up and throw it out separately, as well.  Finally, use a permanent marker to write NOT SAFE FOR USE in large print in several locations on the shell. 

We have heard some people suggest that parents break up the shell with heavy tools. Safety Squad doesn't recommend this. We don't want anyone hurting themselves trying to destroy car seats. Seats can be difficult to destroy and tools can take high levels of skill to use safely. Not to mention, flying metal and plastic can cause serious injury.

Perhaps, you can drop the shell off at a recycling center in your community.  We checked in Chicago and car seats are not listed among their accepted items.  Maybe your community actually has a plan to accept retired car seats. Call your local government's information line for answers.

If you are so inclined... the best way to ensure that the seat is totally destroyed is to watch the garbage truck crush it on trash day.  Short of that, double bag it with heavy duty trash bags and tie it securely before throwing it in the garbage.  The idea is to make it hard for people picking through the trash to resurrect your dead seat.

We realize this seems like a lot of work...and it is, but your efforts can actually save a child's life. 

 

Comments

[KimB]

Thanks Safety Squad! Per your instructions - I slowly dismantled our old seat: tossed the straps one day, the pad the next, cut the buckle out after that and then labeled the base & seat it DO NOT USE, packed them in black trash bags and finally put the old thing to rest! Not an easy process, but I'm glad you let me know the best (and safest) way to take care of the job.

[spyderette]

what a wasteful way to dispose of car seats! i'm outraged that the manufacturers don't provide some sort of recycling program. think of all that plastic in the landfills! it's time for manufacturers to take some responsibility.

[SteveB]

I here what you are saying. Keep in mind that other cities (We referenced Chicago specifically) may have resources in place to recycle old seats.

As far as the car seat companies, I'll do some digging to find out if they actually have programs.

[Going Green Limousine]

Thanks, Safey Squad! If your car seat was involved in an accident, I recently heard of a suggestion to bring it to the police department where they will submit it for crash testing statistics. This way it can be used for future safety purposes and be disposed of safely (so no other child will be given a compromised car seat).

[missy]

The best way to dispose of an old car seat is to bring it back to the store during one of their "trade in" sales. They give you a coupon for %20 off new stuff! They send it off for recycling and you save money.