That bulky, old car seat sitting in your garage or basement presents a common dilemma for parents everywhere. You know its job is done, but what’s the next step? Figuring out what to do with an old car seat can feel surprisingly complicated, caught between concerns for safety and the environment.
The best thing to do with an old car seat is to recycle it through a retailer trade-in event or a dedicated program. You must first confirm it’s unusable by checking its expiration date, crash history, and recall status, as unsafe seats should never be reused.
Leveraging extensive analysis of manufacturer guidelines and national recycling programs, this guide provides a clear, step-by-step plan. We will unpack the proven, responsible options, from high-value trade-in events to proper disassembly. This ensures you can confidently handle your old car seat in a way that protects other children and minimizes environmental impact.
Key Facts
- Millions of car seats end up in landfills each year: This contributes significantly to waste, as the bulky plastic, metal, and foam components take centuries to degrade.
- Car seats expire for a critical safety reason: Typically expiring 6-10 years after manufacture, the plastic and webbing degrade from temperature changes and sunlight, compromising structural integrity in a crash.
- Target’s trade-in event is a leading recycling solution: Their recurring program, often held in April and September, offers a 20% discount and partners with Waste Management to recycle millions of pounds of material.
- Cutting the straps is a non-negotiable step before disposal: This single action prevents a potentially unsafe, expired, or damaged seat from being pulled from the trash and used by an unsuspecting family.
- Dedicated mail-in services offer high recycling efficiency: Evidence suggests that specialized programs like CarSeatRecycling.com can successfully recycle 85-90% of a car seat’s components by weight.
Why Proper Disposal of Old Car Seats is Crucial
Before you decide what to do with that old car seat, have you considered why it can’t just go in the trash? The answer boils down to two critical issues: safety and the environment. Properly disposing of an old car seat is critical for safety, as expired or crashed seats are unsafe for reuse, and for environmental reasons, as their plastic and metal components contribute to significant landfill waste.
- Child Safety: An expired, recalled, or crash-involved car seat is a safety hazard. The materials degrade, and their ability to protect a child in a subsequent crash is severely compromised. Simply throwing a seat away creates the risk that someone might find it and use it, unaware of its dangerous history. Responsible disposal ensures unsafe seats are taken out of circulation for good.
- Environmental Impact: Car seats are a complex mix of materials—hard plastic, metal, foam padding, and fabric webbing. When sent to a landfill, these bulky items take up significant space and take centuries to break down. Well-established research indicates that millions of car seats end up in landfills annually, a staggering amount of preventable waste. Recycling programs are designed to separate these components so the valuable plastic and metal can be repurposed.
Step 1: First, Determine if Your Car Seat Is Unusable
The very first thing you must do is perform a quick but thorough inspection. This isn’t just a suggestion; it’s a critical safety check that dictates all your next steps. A car seat must be retired if it is expired (check the label), has been in a moderate crash, has missing or damaged parts, or has been recalled (check the NHTSA website).
Follow this checklist. If your seat fails even one of these points, it is considered unusable and must not be sold, donated, or passed down.
- Check for an Expiration Date: Look for the date stamped on the seat itself or printed on a label.
- Assess Crash History: Was the seat in a vehicle during a moderate or severe crash?
- Inspect for Damage or Missing Parts: Look for cracks in the plastic, frayed straps, or missing components.
- Check for Safety Recalls: Use the model number to search for recalls on the NHTSA website.
Quick Fact: Most car seats expire 6-10 years from their manufacture date. It’s not a suggestion—it’s a critical safety deadline.
Check the Expiration Date
The expiration date, typically 6-10 years from manufacture, is located on a label or stamped into the car seat’s plastic shell. This date isn’t an arbitrary sales tactic; it’s based on the lifespan of the materials. Over years of exposure to heat, cold, and sunlight, the plastic can become brittle and the harness webbing can lose its strength, making the seat less effective in a crash.
Look for the expiration date or “Do Not Use After” date in these common places:
* On a printed on a label attached to the back or bottom of the seat.
* Stamped into the plastic of the car seat shell, often on the back.
Pro Tip: Take a picture of the label with the expiration date and model number when you first buy a car seat. You’ll thank yourself years later!
Assess Crash Involvement
Replace a car seat after any moderate crash. According to NHTSA, it may be reusable after a minor crash only if the vehicle was drivable, no one was injured, and the seat has no visible damage. Even if a car seat looks fine after an accident, the stress of the impact can create hairline fractures or weaken the internal structure, rendering it unsafe.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines a minor crash as one that meets ALL of the following criteria:
The vehicle was able to be driven away from the crash site.
The vehicle door nearest the car seat was not damaged.
None of the passengers in the vehicle were injured in the crash.
The air bags (if present) did not deploy during the crash; AND
There is no visible damage to the car seat.
When in doubt, throw it out. Is the peace of mind worth the cost of a new seat? The answer is always yes.
Step 2: Your Best Options for Car Seat Recycling and Trade-Ins
Once you’ve confirmed your car seat is unusable, the best path forward is recycling. This keeps bulky plastics and metals out of landfills and prevents unsafe seats from being reused. The best options for old car seats are retailer trade-in events (like Target’s), manufacturer take-back programs (like Clek’s), and dedicated car seat recycling services that ensure materials are properly processed.
Ready to turn that old seat into savings? Here are the programs that will pay you back for being responsible.
Find Retailer Trade-In Events
Target holds major car seat trade-in events, typically in April and September, offering a 20% discount on new baby gear for any old car seat. These events are incredibly popular because they make responsible disposal easy and rewarding. They accept any type of car seat, including infant seats, boosters, bases, and even expired or damaged seats. Walmart has also held similar events in the past.
Here’s a quick comparison based on historical program data:
Retailer | Typical Event Dates | Incentive Offered | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Target | April (Earth Month) & September | 20% off coupon for new baby gear | Program started in 2016. Partners with Waste Management for recycling. |
Walmart | Less frequent; last major event was in 2019 | Historically offered a $30 gift card | Partnered with TerraCycle. Check locally for current participation. |
Use Manufacturer or Dedicated Recycling Programs
Don’t want to wait for a trade-in event? These mail-in programs work on your schedule. Manufacturers like Clek and dedicated services like CarSeatRecycling.com offer year-round, mail-in options to recycle old car seats for a fee. While these services typically have a cost associated with shipping and processing, they are an excellent, environmentally sound option available anytime.
- Clek: This manufacturer runs a year-round recycling program. For a fee, they will send you a shipping label to return any brand of car seat to their recycling partners.
- RideSafer: The maker of the RideSafer travel vest also accepts their old vests for recycling.
- CarSeatRecycling.com: This service, also known as Recycle Your Car Seat, partners with specialized facilities to dismantle seats. They report an impressive 85-90% recycling rate by weight, ensuring most of the material is repurposed. You purchase a recycling kit online, pack your seat, and mail it in.
Check for Local Recycling Centers & Programs
Some local recycling centers or municipal programs accept car seats, but you must call ahead to confirm their policies and if the seat needs to be disassembled first. This option requires a bit more legwork but can be a free and effective local solution. Some areas have exceptional programs; for example, evidence shows the Colorado Department of Transportation has organized car seat recycling initiatives.
CRITICAL: Always call your local recycling center or Department of Public Works first. Curbside programs typically do not accept whole car seats. The mixture of different plastics, metal, and foam makes them impossible for standard single-stream recycling facilities to process. You need to find a specialized drop-off location.
Step 3: Donating a Used Car Seat? A Cautious Guide
Warning: Donating a used car seat is generally not recommended by safety experts. Because the seat’s full history (including potential crash involvement or improper cleaning) is unknown, most organizations will not accept them due to liability risks.
Donating a car seat is generally not recommended due to unknown safety histories. If you do, it must absolutely not be expired, recalled, or ever in a crash, and you must confirm the receiving charity’s policy first. Think your seat is pristine enough to donate? Ask yourself: would you trust an unknown person’s word on its history for your own child’s safety?
If, and only if, you are the original owner and are 100% certain of the seat’s history, you might find a local organization that will accept it. The seat must meet every single one of these conditions:
* It has never been in a moderate or severe crash.
* It is not expired and has at least one year left before its expiration date.
* It has not been recalled, or if it was, the recall has been fixed.
* It has all its original parts, including the manual.
* It has never been cleaned with harsh chemicals that could degrade the materials.
You must call any potential charity, women’s shelter, or hospital directly to ask about their specific policy before showing up with a seat.
Step 4: The Last Resort: How to Safely Dismantle and Dispose
If you’ve exhausted all recycling and trade-in options, the final step is to dispose of the seat in the trash—but only after making it unusable and unsalvageable. If no recycling is available, dismantle the car seat: 1. Cut all straps. 2. Separate metal (recyclable), plastic (check locally), and fabric/foam (trash). 3. Clearly mark the plastic shell as “EXPIRED” or “UNSAFE”.
Feeling handy? Dismantling your car seat is the final step to ensure it’s disposed of as responsibly as possible.
- Cut the Straps and Fabric: This is the most important step. Use a box cutter or strong scissors to completely cut the harness straps, buckle straps, and LATCH connectors. Cut off all the fabric and foam padding. This makes the seat visibly and functionally useless, preventing anyone from pulling it from the curb and using it unsafely.
- Separate Materials: Get your tools ready. Use a Phillips-head screwdriver and pliers to remove all metal screws, bolts, and reinforcement bars. Collect all metal parts in a separate pile. These are highly recyclable and can often be taken to a scrap metal recycler.
- Mark the Shell: Take a permanent marker and write “EXPIRED” or “UNSAFE – DO NOT USE” in large letters all over the main plastic shell.
- Dispose of Components:
- Metal: Take to a local scrap metal recycling facility.
- Plastic Shell: Check with your local waste management provider. Some may accept the large, marked plastic shell in your regular trash, while others may have specific instructions for large plastic items.
- Fabric, Foam, and Straps: These components are generally not recyclable and should be placed in your regular trash.
To make the dismantling process easier, having the right tools on hand is essential.
FAQs About what do i do with an old car seat
What can you do with an expired car seat?
An expired car seat should be recycled through a trade-in event or dedicated program. It should NEVER be donated, sold, or given away. The materials are considered degraded and no longer safe. Your best options are:
* Take it to a retailer trade-in event like Target’s.
* Use a mail-back recycling service like CarSeatRecycling.com.
* Dismantle it, recycle the metal parts, and dispose of the rest after cutting the straps.
Does Walmart or Target take old car seats?
Yes, Target regularly hosts trade-in events where they accept all types of old car seats for a discount. Walmart has had similar programs in the past. Target’s events are a reliable, recurring option, typically held in the spring and fall. They accept any seat, regardless of condition, and provide a valuable coupon in return. It’s always best to check Target’s corporate announcements for the exact dates of the next event.
Can I donate a used car seat to a charity like Goodwill?
No, most large charities like Goodwill do not accept used car seats due to safety regulations and the inability to verify their history. The liability is too great for them to take on. You should never leave a car seat at a donation drop-off without explicit permission, as this simply forces the charity to bear the cost of its disposal.
Can I just put my old car seat in the curbside recycling bin?
No, you cannot put a whole car seat in your curbside recycling bin. The mixed materials require special handling at dedicated recycling facilities. Standard Municipal Recycling Facilities (MRFs) are designed for items like bottles, cans, and paper. A car seat’s blend of different plastics, metal, foam, and fabric will contaminate the recycling stream and can damage sorting equipment.
What if my car seat was in a minor car accident?
Even after a minor accident, many experts recommend replacing the car seat. NHTSA provides specific criteria, but if there is any doubt about the seat’s structural integrity, it should be retired. While NHTSA states a seat may be reusable if the crash was minor (drivable vehicle, no injuries, no airbag deployment, etc.), hidden damage can compromise its safety. The safest choice is always to replace it.
Final Summary: Your Action Plan for an Old Car Seat
Your old car seat served its purpose well. Now, you have the clear steps to retire it responsibly. Deciding what to do with an old car seat doesn’t have to be a burden. By following a clear, safety-first process, you can make a choice that’s good for other families and for the planet. The core principle is simple: unusable seats must be destroyed or recycled, never passed on.
Your action plan is a clear hierarchy of choices:
* First, Assess: Check the expiration date, crash history, and recall status. If it fails any test, it’s unusable.
* Best Option – Trade-In: Look for the next Target car seat trade-in event to get a discount on new gear.
* Next Best – Recycle: If no trade-in is available, use a year-round mail-in service or check for a local, specialized drop-off program.
* Donation – Use Extreme Caution: This is almost never the right answer. Only consider it if the seat is pristine, you are the original owner, and a specific charity has agreed to take it.
* Last Resort – Dismantle: If no other option exists, cut the straps, separate the materials for recycling/trash, and mark the shell as “UNSAFE” before disposal.
By taking one of these responsible steps, you are making a crucial contribution to child passenger safety and environmental health. Which option will you choose?
Last update on 2025-07-25 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API