How to Dispose of a Car Seat (Safely!)

When a car seat reaches the end of it's useful life, it's important to make sure it's disposed of responsibly.

Expired, out of date or damaged car seats should not be passed on to family or friends, or left out for collection without first rendering them unusable.

Can Car Seats Be Recycled?

Car seats are made up of about 92% recyclable materials by weight, but unfortunately they are ineligible for normal recycling pickup. They're too bulky, and require a large amount of disassembly before they can be recycled - so currently they end up in landfill. We're currently in talks with a number of industry and environmental groups about a pilot program to address this, but for now, it's the tip for your car seat.

How to Prepare a Car Seat for Disposal

You want to render it unusable. To do this, the easiest way is to;

Remove all covers and inserts

Cut the harness, top tether and adjuster webbing

Remove the SAI Global 5 Tick sticker, and any Date of Manufacture stickers, and if possible...

...write prominently on the shell - 'BROKEN - DO NOT USE'

Destroying the actual shell can be quite difficult, to the point that we would probably recommend against attempting.

If you can remove headrests, bases or other parts, you can do that too.

You should check with your local council as to whether disposing of the car seat in your collection bin is allowed (most councils do not allow them), or if you need to arrange a council curb side pickup, or trip to the tip.