SeatSmart, New Zealand’s only child car seat recycling program, is celebrating its third year anniversary of the partnership with insurer AMI.
SeatSmart program manager Toni Bye said that over 1,700 child car sets have been kept out of the landfill since AMI committed to recycle all seats written off through its insurance claims process.
“This is equivalent to around nine tonnes of plastic, metal and straps which can be recycled or reused – which is a great result so far. Instead of losing these resources they are going back into making new products,” Bye said in a news release.
The program is operated by resource recovery experts, 3R Group, and has been established in Aotearoa since 2016. As of today, it has 44 collection sites around the country where anyone can drop off expired or damaged seats for recycling. Bye said that up to 67% of the average child car seat, by weight, is recyclable or repurposed, including plastic, metal, and the seat straps.
The program also aims to promote road safety by making parents and caregivers aware of child car seat expiry dates. Bye said that seats typically expire after six to 10 years, a fact that most people are not aware of. These expiry dates are further affected by temperature extremes, general wear and tear, and changes in safety standards.
AMI executive general manager for consumer brands Paula ter Brake said that the insurer is proud to support the safe and sustainable disposal of children’s car seats, as well as being the first ever insurer to partake in the recycling program.
“Through our SeatSmart initiative, AMI has been able to partner with Baby on the Move to replace our customers’ stolen or damaged child car seats. This provides children with a greater level of protection if they are involved in an accident,” ter Brake said. “Our partnerships have taken us one step further in enhancing community safety on the road, and also in protecting our environment.”
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