Babies NZ has partnered with SeatSmart to recycle the seats they sell for free.
Child car seat recycling programme SeatSmart is thrilled to have New Zealand baby goods retailer Babies NZ come on board as a collection site, offering free recycling for any seats sold by them.
The Auckland-based company is also now accepting any other expired or damaged seats for a reduced fee of $25 per seat at their Highbrook store in East Auckland.
“Partnering with SeatSmart is part of our sustainability policy. We want to encourage our customers, and the public, to responsibly dispose of damaged, expired or unwanted seats so they don’t end up in landfills,” says Babies NZ National Manager, Chloe Telfer.
“We believe supporting the SeatSmart programme is a responsible initiative that as an industry member we are very proud to be associated with and promote,” she says.
Babies NZ is now the second New Zealand retailer to fully cover the cost of recycling any child car seat it sells, as well as offer a subsidy for other seats.
SeatSmart Programme Manager Toni Bye says having another retailer come on board is great news for consumers. “If you bought a seat from Babies NZ and it gets damaged or expires, you’re safe in the knowledge it doesn’t have to go to landfill, and can be recycled for free,” she says.
“It’s also great news that Babies NZ is offering a subsidy for seats sold by other retailers, to help make recycling more accessible.”
SeatSmart is operated by resource recovery experts 3R Group and has been running since 2016. The programme has 44 collection sites around New Zealand.
“We charge a recycling fee to cover the cost of transport, handling and dismantling of the seats. The fee is subsidised across much of Aotearoa thanks to the support of Babies NZ, a number of councils and a second retailer,” Toni says. “Their support helps us to keep child car seats out of landfill.”
Up to 67% of the average child car seat, by weight, is recyclable or repurposed including plastic, metal and the seat straps.