SeatSmart Programme Manager Toni Bye.
AMI Executive General Manager Consumer Brands Paula ter Brake.
New Zealand’s only child car seat recycling programme, SeatSmart, is celebrating its three-year anniversary of partnership with AMI.
SeatSmart Programme Manager Toni Bye says since AMI committed to recycling all the seats written off through its insurance claim process, over 1,700 have been kept out of landfill.
“This is equivalent to around nine tonnes of plastic, metal and straps which can be recycled or reused – which is a great result so far. Instead of losing these resources they are going back into making new products,” Toni says.
“We’re proud to support the safe and sustainable disposal of children’s car seats, and to have been the first ever insurer to partake in this recycling programme in 2020,” says Paula ter Brake, AMI Executive General Manager Consumer Brands.
“Through our SeatSmart initiative, AMI has been able to partner with Baby on the Move to replace our customers’ stolen or damaged child car seats. This provides children with a greater level of protection if they are involved in an accident.
“Our partnerships have taken us one step further in enhancing community safety on the road, and also in protecting our environment,” Paula says.
SeatSmart is operated by resource recovery experts 3R Group and has been running since 2016. The programme has 44 collection sites around New Zealand where members of the public can drop off expired or damaged seats for recycling.
Up to 67% of the average child car seat, by weight, is recyclable or repurposed including plastic, metal and the seat straps, Toni says.
The programme also aims to promote road safety by making parents and caregivers aware child car seats have expiry dates. “Seats typically expire after six to 10 years, which isn’t something people are always aware of.
“Things like the effects of temperature extremes in cars on the plastic, general wear and tear and changes in safety standards mean seats have a specific lifespan,” Toni says.
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