Does anyone take used car seats

But most of them require more work than you might expect. You can give away or sell a used seat, but it better be in near-perfect condition. Lorrie Walker, training manager and technical advisor for the Buckle Up Program at Safe Kids Worldwide which certifies Child Passenger Safety technicians , told me the seat should meet the following criteria:.

It should be within the expiration date. Car seats have expiration dates, which might make some parents suspicious that manufacturers are just trying to make us buy more stuff. But like anything, the components of the seats can wear out over time. Department of Transportation, told me in an email. Webbing, plastic, foam, buckles, etc. Look for the date in the manual or on the seat. According to the retailer, the old seats will be recycled and turned into items like plastic buckets, pallets, and carpet padding.

The program has reportedly done this with 1,, car seats, or more than 17 million pounds of plastic, since it began in Car seat maker Clek will recycle your seat of any brand, not necessarily theirs in a slightly convoluted way. Earlier, we discussed not selling or donating a car seat if it has been in an accident, is expired, or was recalled.

But before you begin dismantling, ask your local department of public works if the plastic from the seat is accepted in the local recycling program. If it is, then get to it! The latest car seat regulation — R — was only introduced in , which is less than 10 years ago, and demonstrates how much things can change in this time. What is the R car seat regulation? You may find some manufacturers provide a service that assesses whether you can continue using the car seat, but our recommendation is always to replace it.

Your car insurance policy should cover the cost of replacing the car seat, but always check as not all will. However, buying a pre-owned car seat is not generally recommended. This is because you cannot always be certain of its history. It's not uncommon to spot abandoned car seats left out on the streets next to bins in the hope that they'll get picked up by your council waste disposal services or a parent looking for a freebie.

The reality however, is that the rubbish collection trucks will simply leave them on the side of the road if they're left out. The seats need to be dropped off at your local tip, if you want to throw them away. However, according to some manufacturers, it is a possibility. In September , Silver Cross launched a recycling service for its car seats, with customers able to book a collection for the car seat to be recycled free of charge.

At the recycling plant, the team use specialist lasers to separate the recyclable materials, which can then be used in the production of other products and packaging across a variety of industries - with absolutely nothing going to landfill.

When a product has come to the end of its use, consumers can take their car seat to their local recycling centre, where they will break it down into separate components and recycle each part separately.

But is it really as simple as this? Ellin explained that car seats are usually made from high-density polyethylene HDPE or polypropylene, both of which are recyclable, as well as other materials such as fabrics to make up the cover and harness, and metal that forms part of the seat structure, buckle clip and seat base hooks.

The small pieces of seat then go through a sink tank, which will help to separate out the different polymers or components of the seat. The plastic parts of the seat that can be recycled will float off and be separated, while the metal parts will sink. Any fabric and foam sections will also be separated, although these are less likely to be recycled and will instead be incinerated.

Remember, not all councils will be able to offer this, so make sure you check with your local centre. We quizzed Terracycle, an organisation that offers a range of recycling programmes for products that are funded by the relevant companies for example Tassimo and Lavazza coffee pods , on other recycling options. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Learn more. This is why we have compiled a list of organizations that accept seats after thoroughly checking them physically and their history and distribute them to people in need.