What To Do With An Expired Baby Car Seat
A responsible parent thinks about more than just the safety and comfort of her baby. They also think about the environment and how to properly dispose of an expired baby car seat.
Because most people would simply throw away their used car seats, it is important to know that this is the wrong way to dispose of used plastics. There is more to it than simply throwing it to the garbage bin and then forgetting about it.
For one thing, you will be hurting our natural environment when you just send out old plastics because these do not easily break down. When you throw away a plastic, that thing will still be there for decades and even for a hundred years. It will not easily decompose and will just contribute for further polluting the environment.
So what can you do with your expired infant car seat? Here are two approaches that you can try for responsible disposal of used plastics. You should exert an extra effort because it is not just for your baby, but for others as well.
1. Find a recycling firm, plant or organization in your area.
This is the most responsible thing to do. You can try searching the Internet or your local yellow pages for a recycling organization that can collect your used car seat and recycle it for you.
Such plants have the facilities, equipment and the know-how to convert old plastics into new ones, and even into renewable resources or power. The possibilities are actually endless and with the recent advancements in recycling technologies, almost any kind of plastic can now be recycled.
2. Throw it away, but be more responsible doing it.
Cut away the straps and cut it into little pieces. Rip out the used baby car seat cover and shred it into bits. As for the plastic seat itself, if you can break it down into smaller pieces that would be better. Some parts can be taken apart. While this may sound a nasty thing to do in terms of disposing of a used child car seat, this is actually a responsible way of doing it.
The reason why you should do this is to make sure that nobody can piece back together your old baby car seat and use it again for their child. You will be doing that other person a favor because expired car seats are actually dangerous since the plastic itself will now be less efficient in providing the necessary strength to withstand any accident or high pressure. It will no longer be equally protective for the baby.
These two ways are the current most responsible and effective means to dispose of car seats. Most baby car seats have a lifespan of only 5 years at the most. Any longer than that and its effectiveness is said to have lessened. When this happens, simply buy another seat for your baby. As they always say, prevention should always be a top priority by any responsible and caring parent.
If it is time to buy a new baby car seat for your little one then go check out http://www.car-seats-for-baby.com and while there take a look at the Graco SnugRide Infant Car Seat. It is a favorite in infant car seats.
