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Target’s Car Seat Trade-In Event & Other Ways to Get Rid of an Old, Expired Seat

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Strange how car seats go from one of the most important safety items you can buy for your precious cargo to completely useless lumps of plastic in almost no time at all. Because kids grow fast. First, they’re too big for their infant car seats; then, they’ve outgrown their toddler seats and boosters, too. This presents a recurring dilemma: What do parents do with their old car seats when they’re done with them — especially if they’ve reached that all-important, not-to-be-ignored expiration date?

For many parents, the answer ends up being something like, “Let that chunk of plastic sit in the corner of your garage collecting dust until you figure out what to do with it.” Then, eventually, you cave and toss it, and it sits in a landfill with countless other car seats. And sure, throwing it away seems the easiest option, but it’s certainly not the most earth-friendly — and luckily, there are better options for what to do with old car seats: recycling and trade-in programs.

But before we get into that, let’s talk about what you shouldn’t do with a car seat: donate or sell it if the car seat is expired, has been recalled, or has been in an accident. The plastic that protected your child so well won’t do so anymore if it’s been broken, cracked, or degraded by the elements. The last thing you want to do is risk another child’s life.

That said, here are a few things you can do to end that expired car seat’s life nicely.

Target car seat trade-in event

Target’s semi-annual Car Seat Trade-in program is back — and shelves are stocked with new brands to discover and love. From Sunday, April 16th to Saturday, April 29th, you can head to a participating Target store to trade in your old car seats and receive a coupon for 20 percent off a new car seat, stroller, or select baby gear. To use the coupon, you’ll need to enroll in the free Target Circle rewards program (you can sign up in-store or create an account online).

According to the retailer, the old seats will be recycled and turned into items like plastic buckets, pallets, and carpet padding. Since beginning in 2016, the program has reportedly recycled more than 2 million car seats or more than 32 million pounds of materials.

So, keep your eyes peeled for trade-in events like this one.

Other trade-in programs

Car seat maker Clek has teamed up with Carseat Recycling so consumers can recycle car seats of any brand. After purchasing a shipping label from the site for $40-$65, the company will send you a custom shipping bag. Pack up your seat and drop it off at a UPS to et a credit for either a $10 off purchases of $40 or more or 10 percent off $100 or more to use toward a purchase on the Clek site.

Reuse

Earlier, we discussed not selling or donating a car seat if it has been in an accident, is expired, or was recalled. However, you can reuse or pass along the seat if it’s still in good condition and doesn’t fall into any of those aforementioned categories. To find out if your car seat qualifies for reuse, answer the questions on Consumer Reports’ website.

Recycle

According to Recycle Your Car Seat, curbside recycling programs do not typically accept children’s car seats, even if you take them apart first. Currently, 12 states have recycling options for car seats.

If a program doesn’t exist near you, you can still recycle as much of the seat as you can yourself. 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!

Consumer Reports compiled the following list of tips from the recycling program in Ann Arbor, Michigan:

  1. First, use scissors to cut off the fabric, foam padding, and harness straps from the seat.
  2. Use a Phillips-head screwdriver to remove as much metal as possible.
  3. Remove the car seat cover and any padding underneath it.
  4. Discard the fabric, foam padding, straps, and mixed metal-plastic pieces and small plastic pieces.
  5. Mark the plastic as expired or unsafe.
  6. Recycle the bulky plastic body and all-metal pieces.

Have someone else do the recycling for you

There’s one more option for the truly dedicated environmentalists out there: You can pay Terracycle to recycle your car seat and other baby gear. Buy a box from the site — with prices ranging from $116 for an 11″x11″x20″ box to $217 for a 15″x15″x37″ box — stuff your used baby gear inside, and ship it off. This can be an expensive solution, but we are at the whims of manufacturers and recycling plants. You may instead want to hold onto that seat until the next free car-seat trade-in program which will likely be held in September.

A version of this story was originally published in September 2019.

Our mission at SheKnows is to empower and inspire women, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale. 

You can also reduce waste by buying toys made from recycled materials, like those made by some of these great toy brands.

ethical charitable toy brands

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