The Keep New Zealand Beautiful team has set themselves the target of collecting 1,000 seats a month.
Aotearoa New Zealand’s only child car seat recycling programme is entering a new era as Keep New Zealand Beautiful (KNZB) takes it over.
Sustainability experts 3R Group started SeatSmart over a decade ago, with the mission of collecting and dismantling expired or damaged child car seats so the metal, plastic, and straps can be recycled or reused. It has 47 collection sites in 10 regions, and after 12 years of operation, over 53,400 seats have been collected, and more than 240,000kg of material has been recycled or reused.
KNZB Support Manager Wayne Gazley says they’re eager to get stuck in when they take over on 1 November. “We think 3R have set up a fantastic programme and we’re keen to deliver the same level of service people have come to expect while 3R were running it.”
The not-for-profit, which celebrates its 60th anniversary next year, will continue to collect and recycle seats from all SeatSmart collection sites around the motu, Wayne says. “This is a great way to showcase the fact that Keep New Zealand Beautiful isn’t just about doing community clean ups – we do school programmes, awareness, tree planting, and citizen’s science programmes too.”
3R Group’s Projects Director, Natalie Forrest, says the time has come to hand the programme over. “We decided to extend an offer to a not-for-profit, charity, social enterprise, or community group to take the programme over free of charge, along with full support for the transition.
“We’re really pleased to have Keep New Zealand Beautiful take up the mantle – we’re sure the programme is in good hands.”
Nationwide baby goods retailer Baby on the Move has been a vital partner since the beginning, with 13 collection sites, Natalie says. “We’re very grateful to the team at Baby on the Move, particularly Co-Director Fena Bavastro, who has been one of the SeatSmart’s longest and most ardent supporters and is committed to remaining a key partner going forward,” she says.
SeatSmart began as a small pilot project in 2014 after a 3R staff member needed to dispose of an expired seat and found landfill was the only option. It quickly grew to include dropoff sites in Auckland, Hamilton, Christchurch, Tauranga, and Nelson in its first year, eventually spreading to 10 regions around the country.
SeatSmart charges a recycling fee to cover the transport and dismantling of the seats, and this will also stay the same, Wayne says. “The cost varies depending if there is a subsidy in place in your area. To find your nearest collection site just visit the seatsmart.co.nz site.”