Is There a "Green" Way to Dispose of a Used Car Seat?

Legacy Health Systems has a recycle program. You should be able to give them a call. It seems to me the last I looked them up they took them at Good Sam and St Vincent.

HTH
E.

If you can't get the recyling lined up the best thing to do is to cut the straps and break the seat with a hammer into at least 2 pieces so that it can't be used it you need to put it out with the regular garbage.

You can sell a used seat, but people really shouldn't buy a used one unless they trust that person with their child's life.

For example: I gave a good friend our infant seat when we were done with it. She knew I would have no problem using it with my own child, it was never in an accident and was not expired.

If the seat is not expired, check out your local Pregnancy Aid. They have carseat techs who can deem the seat re-usable and ours has a recycling program for those that aren't.

You can sell or give away a used carseat-they expire based on the year they are made because the plastic parts wear down. If the car they were used in has ever been in an accident- any type of accident even a small fender bender, they MUST be replaced. The integrity of the seat absorbs impact and can cause small, hairline fractures that can cause major failure of the seat if ever in another accident. Our insurance company paid for them to be replaced after a small accident last year, no questions asked.
As far as disposing of an expired car seat, I believe you can still donate to fire departments. They will break them up and dispose of them.
I have also seen carseats used during kid's playtime- my little guy would love to use his carseat to buckle up his toys in:)

I have never heard that you "can't" sell a used carseat??? What is the reason for that??? I know that you must dispose of a carseat that was in an accident, but not if it is perfectly good. Lots of people where I live pass them to friends in need or even donate them to the women's shelter or Pregnancy care center.
The only suggestion I can think of if you are going to dispose of it is to see if the recyling center can take the "parts" and recycle them...Good Luck!

Not sure where to recycle plastic of that sort, but there is a great website community, that's main goal is to trade and give away things to keep them out of landfills. Freecycle.org. check it out, it is actually quite addicting.

Goodwill will NOT take car seats, and neither will most charities, as it's too much liability for them if they are not safe.

Legacy Emanuel Children's Hospital is having their health fair this weekend (info below) and has car seat recycling.

Emanuel Healthy Kids' Fair April 11
3/12/2009 – Hundreds of families are planning to attend one of Portland’s biggest and most popular Easter weekend events—the Healthy Kids’ Fair at Legacy Emanuel Children’s Hospital. Now in its 26th year, this year’s fair will be held on Saturday, April 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the atrium of Legacy Emanuel Hospital, 501 N. Graham. Parking is free, and Parking Structure #1 on Gantenbein is recommended. See map and directions here. The free event is a great way for children and families to experience loads of fun and provides hands-on ways to learn health and safety tips. Among the many planned activities are:

* Easter egg hunts (ages 1-8)
* Car seat safety clinic
* Healthy kids checks (height and weight)
* Teddy bear clinic (for stuffed animal repairs)
* Bike and snowboard helmet sale
* Fire engine, ambulance, and police car displays
* Car seat and helmet recycling

The fair will offer free lead testing for children, fingerprinting for kids safety, dental screening, nutrition information, and thumb casting. The kids’ fair is a great opportunity for parents to learn along with their children about burn and poison prevention and get health and safety information from a variety of community organizations.

This year’s Healthy Kids' Fair promises families an action-packed event, a commitment by Legacy Health System to further the health and safety of its communities. Emanuel Children’s Hospital Foundation supports the event. Visit www.emanuelchildrens.org.

The plastic in a car seat will not be accepting in curbside recycling. However, it will be accepted by special facilities around town, or at one of the "plastics roundup" that are often held in conjunction with community clean ups and the like. They actually have a category is miscellaneous plastics - so the type of plastic doesn't even matter. They are chipped up and added to pavement as a filler.

You can check the metro site in the Portland area to find locations that accept a wide range of plastics. One is far west fibers (farwestfibers.com). They also accept a ton of other stuff, like used computer equipment, CDs, shoes, etc. if you want to do a little house clean out!

I should note that all facilities that accept these types of plastics are encouraging folks to keep them at home, for now. Because of the economic downturn, there isn't really a demand for the plastics. So the companies are stockpiling them to the degree that they can. So, if you can hold onto them for a while longer it will be easier to get rid of!

Good luck!

Hi, You could always give it a try and list it on craigslist for free with all the details. You would be surprised how many people out there cannot afford these things and would happily accept an old but safe seat that has not been involved in an accident. Now...I don't know how many of those people have access to the internet...but it's worth a shot until you get additional suggestions :o)

Well, if you maintained your car seats, kept them clean and they weren't dropped from a 3 story building, they have all their hardware... you can have them checked out by your local hospital to verify their safety. If they aren't safe, recycling them as a plastic would be the way to go. Your hospital or Children's in Seattle probably has a contact for recycling, call and ask.

If safe, there are many baby corners in local foodbanks that would welcome the donation of a safe and clean carseat, regardless of the age. Many families are in need and this is a requirement, a necessity that is cost prohibitive in times like these, leading to accidents that could have been prevented. Give it a try.

The reason car seats expire is that the plastics start to break down and become brittle as someone else mentioned. Here is a video of a 10-year old Britax in a crash test: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvCRz7BRAM0 I would personally never used an expired car seat; I would never trust that it is safe. I suggest getting rid of it asap or using it for playtime (that's a great idea!). It sounds like some folks had some good ideas for dropping it off at carseat recycling drives. I love that you are trying to find a no/low-waste way to get rid of it!!!!

You can sell a used car seat. I see them all the time in resale shops. You can also give them to Goodwill, Salvation Army, ARC, etc.

I think it is a good idea to explain why you should not use an expired car seat, since a lot of people seem to misunderstand what the difference is between expired and used. I have no problem selling or buying a used seat that has NEVER been in an accident, however you should never donate them. You should always sell them or give them to people who you know and can trust you. And do not ever buy a used seat from someone you do not know or trust. Most thrift stores are not allowed to, and should not, resale them, for safety reasons. An expired seat, some do not have an expiration date on them, but a good rule I heard is 6 years old, but check with the manufacturer. Everyone knows old plastic breaks easily, now why on earth would you put an infant or toddler in an old brittle plastic car seat! It is common sense. It has nothing to do with how nice it still looks on the outside!
Sadly another problem is a huge percentage of car seats are installed incorrectly. If you have a car seat check in your area go to it, they will show you how to correctly install the seat in your vehicle, for free.
These are things we as parents can control to protect our children and we will live with the grief a mistake like these can cause for a lifetime. You also do not have to buy the most expensive model on the market, the cheaper ones are also approved, so buy what you can afford.

If you live in the Portland area Legacy Emanuel Childrens Hospital has a car seat recycling drive every year. That's where I took mine last year. If you live somewhere else maybe check and see if the local hospitals do something like this.

Yes, you could post it on Kashless.com or even craigslist as free, youcould also joing a freecycling group on Yahoo.com under groups and offer it to someone. Hope that helps.

I agree that you really should not sell it, if it is past expiration. You can try to donate it though. Make sure you clearly mark that it is not for use in the car any more, but if it is an infant seat, it can still be used as a carrier or with a snap and go.

To dispose of it, find out if your recycler will recycle the type of plastic that it is made from. Remove the straps and foam parts (those go into the trash)and put the shell out in your recycle (if they will take it).

Contact Emmanual Hospital... they have a "round-up" every so often and recycle the carseats! Also, look for "plastic round-up" in the metro area - I think they take them.

My DR has told me that you are supposed to change car seats every 4 years b/c they always come out with some new "safe" technology.

Have I done this yes but I have also given my 5 year old baby car seat to Goodwill. I figure there are people out there that can't afford a 100 dollar car seat but want a good one so they go to where they can afford. I would say give it to goodwill you never know someone might buy it.