What to do with a used car seat
Many of the 12 million car seats Americans buy every year eventually end up in a landfill.
Recycling would reduce the amount of car seat landfill waste, but it's in effect in limited places. Some states and communities offer local recycling of some seat parts, though there isn’t a large-scale effort to manage this waste. One reason: Stripping down seats and separating the various materials for recycling is a highly manual (aka expensive) process.
Consumer Reports knows all about the limited recycling options. There's no local outlet for recycling the car seats we've tested, though we have found a place that takes the Styrofoam seat lining of the seats.
The best alternative is to recycle as much of the seat as you can yourself. Before you do the work, ask the local department of public works whether the plastic from the seat is accepted in the local recycling program—some seats have metal molded in.
If you're ready to retire a seat, use these tips, courtesy of the recycling program in Ann Arbor, Michigan. They're especially important, because data shows that you'll go through three car seats for each of your kids over the years.
Use scissors to cut off the fabric, foam padding, and harness straps from the seat.
Use a Phillips-head screwdriver to remove as much metal as possible. Some cannot be removed easily.
Remove the car seat cover and any padding underneath it.
Discard the fabric, foam padding, straps, and mixed metal/plastic pieces and small
plastic pieces.Mark the plastic as expired or unsafe.
Recycle the bulky plastic body and all metal pieces.
A number of organizations offer periodic car-seat recycling programs or continuously accept seats to recycle. Some will strip the seats for you. Otherwise, look into various community programs listed below.
If you find that the only practical alternative is to dispose of the seat in the trash, remove the straps and get rid of them separately, or cut them so that the seat can’t be used again.
State | Location(s) |
---|---|
Arizona | Phoenix Children’s Hospital |
Colorado | Colorado Children’s Automobile Safety Foundation |
Michigan | Ann Arbor (recycling instructions) |
Minnesota | Various locations |
Nebraska | Offutt Collision Repair, Bellevue |
New Jersey | Shade Tree Garage, Morristown |
Ohio | University and Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, Cleveland |
Oregon | Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital, various locations |
Utah | Salt Lake City and various other locations |
Texas | Baby Earth Renew, Round Rock |
Wisconsin | Various locations |