Author ArchivesToni Bye

The SeatSmart project featured in the December edition of Revolve, the magazine of WasteMINZ, the largest representative body of the waste and resource recovery sector in New Zealand. Waste is an opportunity Sometimes waste issues seem like the proverbial elephant, too big to eat in one mouthful. So we wait, hoping for legislation, landfill bans or consumer action to force widespread change. In a few isolated cases this might happen; mostly it doesn’t. Alternatively the waste elephant can be viewed as a whole heap of bite-sized pieces, with each waste type representing an opportunity to improve outcomes. This is the approach that 3R took when investigating a product stewardship solution for children’s car seats, now called SeatSmart… Read the article.

In 2014 an estimated 40,000 child car restraints will expire, with landfill being the main disposal option for owners. An industry-wide project has been set up to look at the problem, with the aim of reducing waste to landfill, and improving road safety for children through proper disposal of expired child restraints. Funding has come from Auckland Council, The Baby Factory, Baby on the Move, The Warehouse, and project leaders 3R Group. Plunket, the NZ Transport Agency, a plastic processor, and other importers are also involved. 3R Group initiated the project as part of their work designing ways for businesses to help their customers responsibly dispose of used products and packaging, a concept known as product stewardship. Industry research conducted ...