How to Recycle a Infant Car Seat

I have recently been in the market for a new infant car seat, when I was reminded of how big and bulky these things are. They are heavy and contain lots of plastic, this is a good thing as they save lives. The bad part is they only are good for about 6 years. This is because the plastic starts to deteriorate between the heat inside the car and the age of the plastic. This should be a general reminder to only use car seats that are within 6 years of being manufactured. This information is usually marked on the base or can be found via the manufacturer’s website. You should also not buy or sell one after this allotted time, if you do buy one you should make sure that it has never been in a car accident as that can also limit the effectiveness of the car seat.

After doing some initial research on what can be done with the car seat I was at first a little disheartened with the lack of options. I stated here with an article listing only two options in 2008.  This guy in Colorado essentially runs this program himself but as of 2009 the market for the recycled plastic has dried up so I am not sure if this is still active. Legacy Health Systems in Oregon has a program mentioned here and here. Eventually I was able to find that my county, Montgomery, MD, accepts the car seats as well. I hope there are more options out there as this is a lot of material to be thrown into the landfills. If any readers know of any other programs anywhere that accept used car seats let me know and I will add them to my list.

Colorado  (May be inactive)

Montgomery County, Maryland

Oregon