![\"SONY](\"https:\/\/www.beyondmommying.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/DSC01318.jpg\")
<\/a> If it is expired<\/b>.\u00a0 All child car seats have an expiration date which is usually 5 to 10 years after the date of manufacture.\u00a0 The expiration date can usually be found on a sticker on the underside of the seat or stamped into the plastic and will usually say \u201cDo not use after\u2026\u201d\u00a0 A lot of people believe expiration dates are a ploy by the manufacture to get you to buy more seats.\u00a0 The truth is the manufacture cannot guarantee the seat will properly protect your child after the expiration date due to materials breaking down over time.<\/li>\nIt\u2019s been in an accident<\/b>.\u00a0 Most car seat manufactures require child car seats to be replaced after ANY accident, even if the car seat was unoccupied.\u00a0 The stress on the shell from the LATCH strap\/vehicle seatbelt and the strain on the harness if a child was in the seat can make the seat unable to properly restrain a child in the future.\u00a0 Car seats are a life saving device and like bike helmets are only designed to provide protection one time.<\/li>\nSo what if you have a car seat that can\u2019t be reused?\u00a0 It needs to be destroyed, completely, in order to prevent someone from picking it up, using it and endangering a child\u2019s life.<\/p>\n
Most experts say simply cutting the straps, removing the cover and writing \u201cCrashed\u201d in sharpie all over the shell is good enough.\u00a0 Some people go at the shell with a sledge-hammer or saw it in half to make it completely unusable.\u00a0 It\u2019s then recommended that you throw the pieces in the trash on separate days in black trash bags.<\/p>\n
But most car seats are plastic, so why not recycle it?\u00a0 Most recyclers will not take items that are of mixed materials (which car seats are with their plastic, metal and fabric pieces).\u00a0 So when I had a car seat that was defective (and had been replaced for free by the manufacturer), I decided to take it apart completely and recycle what I could.<\/p>\n
How to Recycle a car seat:<\/h2>\n1. Take off the cover and keep pieces that could reuse with a\u00a0new car seat since it of\u00a0the same kind.![\"SONY](\"https:\/\/www.beyondmommying.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/DSC00924-e1403870206988.jpg\")
<\/a><\/h4>\n <\/p>\n
2. Cut all the straps into multiple pieces and tethers into multiple small pieces so they can’t be reused.![\"SONY](\"https:\/\/www.beyondmommying.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/DSC00931.jpg\")
<\/a><\/h4>\n3. Using a screwdriver (and other tools as needed), take the car seat apart piece by piece.![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.beyondmommying.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/DSC00929-e1403870259366-875x1024.jpg\")
<\/a><\/h4>\n4. Sort all the pieces by type. Throw away the metal pieces and recycle the plastic and foam.![\"SONY](\"https:\/\/www.beyondmommying.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/DSC00928.jpg\")
<\/h4>\n5. Cut the shell in half to ensure the car seat can’t be used again (and to help it fit in the\u00a0bin!)![\"SONY](\"https:\/\/www.beyondmommying.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/DSC01039-e1403870445335.jpg\")
<\/a><\/h4>\nFollow the same procedure for infant car seat bases:![\"SONY](\"https:\/\/www.beyondmommying.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/DSC01040.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nIt was a lot of work but it helped me get out some aggression and I feel good knowing that no child will ride in an expired\/recalled\/defective\/dangerous seat AND I didn\u2019t send unnecessary trash to the dump.<\/p>\n
For more on safety in the car see my list of car seat posts<\/a><\/em><\/p>\nPin it!<\/a><\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/p>\n
2. Cut all the straps into multiple pieces and tethers into multiple small pieces so they can’t be reused.<\/a><\/h4>\n3. Using a screwdriver (and other tools as needed), take the car seat apart piece by piece.<\/a><\/h4>\n4. Sort all the pieces by type. Throw away the metal pieces and recycle the plastic and foam.<\/h4>\n5. Cut the shell in half to ensure the car seat can’t be used again (and to help it fit in the\u00a0bin!)<\/a><\/h4>\nFollow the same procedure for infant car seat bases:<\/a><\/p>\nIt was a lot of work but it helped me get out some aggression and I feel good knowing that no child will ride in an expired\/recalled\/defective\/dangerous seat AND I didn\u2019t send unnecessary trash to the dump.<\/p>\n
For more on safety in the car see my list of car seat posts<\/a><\/em><\/p>\nPin it!<\/a><\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/h4>\n4. Sort all the pieces by type. Throw away the metal pieces and recycle the plastic and foam.<\/h4>\n5. Cut the shell in half to ensure the car seat can’t be used again (and to help it fit in the\u00a0bin!)<\/a><\/h4>\nFollow the same procedure for infant car seat bases:<\/a><\/p>\nIt was a lot of work but it helped me get out some aggression and I feel good knowing that no child will ride in an expired\/recalled\/defective\/dangerous seat AND I didn\u2019t send unnecessary trash to the dump.<\/p>\n
For more on safety in the car see my list of car seat posts<\/a><\/em><\/p>\nPin it!<\/a><\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/h4>\nFollow the same procedure for infant car seat bases: It was a lot of work but it helped me get out some aggression and I feel good knowing that no child will ride in an expired\/recalled\/defective\/dangerous seat AND I didn\u2019t send unnecessary trash to the dump.<\/p>\n For more on safety in the car see my list of car seat posts<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nPin it!<\/a><\/h3>\n