SeatSmart
Child Car Seat
Recycling
Imagine 100,000 car seats sitting end to end…
They would stretch from Auckland’s CBD to Pukekohe. That’s the minimum number of car seats that expire every year in New Zealand.
Don’t let your expired or damaged car seat end up in landfill or be sold.
Our Programme
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Reasons to recycle
Why recycle your car seat?
There are lots positive environmental and social outcomes from recycling your seat:
– Diverting tonnes of plastic and metal from landfill each year;
– Providing dismantling work for people who have a disability, or are disadvantage or marginalised;
– Improving child safety by raising awareness of seat expiry dates;
– Lowering the use of virgin materials to make new plastic and metal; and
– Providing used materials to be repurposed into new items.
Who dismantles your seats?
We aim to maximise the social benefit of recycling through our dismantling process. Due to the volumes and the growing complexity of the seats we get through the programme, a mix of dismantling services are required:
– 3R Group – 3R are the founders and operators of SeatSmart. Our staff regularly do the ‘heavy lifting’ on the dismantling (using power tools, etc.)
– Social Enterprises – paid and unpaid services that provide employment or work experience for people who have a disability or are disadvantaged or marginalised; and
– Department of Corrections community work programmes – a free dismantling service providing useful indoor work for offenders, used for a limited number of seats.
The nitty gritty
Is there a cost to recycle?
Fees vary across the country thanks to support from some local councils. These fees range from free to $25 per seat and cover the costs of collection, dismantling and recycling.
Fees are charged per seat at the collection site, so check out your local site.
Insurance – there are no fees for IAG referrals (AMI, State, etc).
What seats are accepted?
Any brand of booster, convertible seat or capsule. Sorry, no polystyrene seats, snap and go’s or other car seat accessories are accepted.
Collection sites have the right to reject mouldy seats as these can contaminate other seats and are a potential health risk.
What materials are in the seats?
Up to 75% of seat materials (by weight) are recyclable.
Plastic, metal, harnesses – they can all have a second life.
Should I consider a second-hand car seat?
The issue of using a second-hand car seat is a tricky one. We found some useful information from NZTA which can help if you are considering buying or borrowing one.
News and Views
Child car seat recycling programme hits 5,000 milestone
The SeatSmart child car seat recycling programme hit a record of 5,000 seats collected in a year, bringing the total to date to over 25,000 seats – some 128 tonnes of recyclable material. Programme Manager Toni Bye says she is pleased they were able to collect their highest one-year total despite the disruptions caused by […]
Hamilton City Council continues support for child car seat recycling
It’s good news for Hamilton caregivers wanting to recycle their expired child car seats with the announcement of continued funding for child car seat recycling programme SeatSmart. The funding, from the council’s Waste Minimisation Fund, means the SeatSmart programme can continue to offer a reduced fee for anyone wanting to recycle an expired or damaged […]
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