Much loved and used car seats, boosters and capsules will get a second lease on life thanks to a collaborative effort with the Western Bay community.

Over the past two weekends, Western Bay of Plenty District Council in collaboration with SeatSmart offered the chance to drop off old car seats to be recycled for free at the Te Puke and Katikati Recycling Centres.

'In total 76 car seats, boosters or capsules were collected,' says a Western Bay of Plenty District Council spokesperson.

Council’s Resource Recovery and Waste Team Leader, Ilze Kruis is delighted to see such a large number of expired and damaged child restraints of every type, brand and size taken away by SeatSmart for dismantling and recycling.

“Most people are unaware that car seats have a limited lifespan, with around 100,000 expiring annually in Aotearoa.

“But the good news is that around 67 percent of a car seats materials by weight are recyclable – things like plastic, metal and harnesses can all have a second life.”

"Council is committed to decreasing the number of unnecessary resources sent to landfill, and this is just one way of contributing to our vision to minimise waste to landfill, while also helping our community to clear out unwanted items from their homes," says the Western Bay of Plenty District Council spokesperson.

"To support initiatives like SeatSmart, Council is required to have a Waste Management and Minimisation Plan that sets a six year action plan to guide our waste activities. In November, we’ll be seeking community feedback to make sure we have the right plan in place to support our community and achieve our waste reduction goals.

"Missed the free recycling events? Please don’t dump your damaged or expired car seats. You can take them into Baby on the Move at 435 Cameron Road in Tauranga, where they can be recycled for a reduced fee of $10 per seat thanks to funding from the Waste Minimisation Levy received by Council.

"Any brand of booster, convertible seat or capsule are accepted, however polystyrene or mouldy seats, or other accessories are unable to be recycled."

For more information about the SeatSmart child seat recycling programme, check out their website.