Are car seats recyclable?

Yes! Car seats are totally recyclable!

How can you recycle your car seat?

Drop it off at Otaihanga Recycling Depo on Otaihanga road if in Kāpiti. It's literally that easy! The recycling depo is a pick up point for SeatSmart in Kāpiti.

If you aren’t local, we recommend googling SeatSmart to see whether there’s a local collection point running near you.

Please be aware that there is a charge which covers SeatSmart's costs. However, if you keep your receipt and bring it in store and buy a full priced replacement car seat from Baby Box, we'll give you an equivilent discount on your new car seat.

Where are we?

1B Kapiti Road, right in the centre of Paraparaumu by the train station. 

Who are "SeatSmart"?

SeatSmart are savvy people on a mission. The fire in their belly comes from the image of 40,000 car seats sitting end to end, stretching from Auckland's Queen Street to Manukau. Also known as the number of car seats that expire EVERY YEAR in New Zealand.

Keen to reduce the impact of that on our environment, and create jobs for local people, the SeatSmart project was born.

The primary aim is to minimise the number of carseats being unnecessarily dumped in landfills. The secondary aim is to ensure that Kiwi Kids are in seats that are not expired - especially as a number of children travel in second or third hand car seats and parents often are unaware of their limited lifespan.

Now, what do they do with them?

All sorts of fun things! SeatSmart basically arrange for all parts of the car seat to be reused. The straps are even turned into handbags. We think that's pretty cool.

Why recycle them and not simply reuse them?

It comes down to safety. Over time, the plastic and materials deteriorate. Just like a tin roof rusts over the years, or an 80 year old has more fragile bones than a 20 year old.

The degrading in the materials undermines the integrity and strength of the car seat, and makes it less safe for your baby. For this reason, car seats have expiry dates.

If yours is expired, or has deteriorated rapidly or been in an accident, you need to get rid of it. The responsible thing to do is to ensure it is recycled when you do.

How do you know whether your car seat is expired?

If you are having trouble with this, pop in to Baby Box and we'll help you figure this out. Usually there's a sticker or a marking on the seat itself which lets you know when it expires or alternatively when it was made (which allows us to work out the expiry date based on the model of the seat).

What if your seat isn't expired but it's been in an accident?

Same rules. You need to discard it. However, you may be able to claim new car seats on insurance or, if you have a seat like the Maxi Cosi premium seats, the manufacturer may be prepared to replace it for free.