Categories ArchivesSafety

Get your child car seat sorted before the holidays standard

When was the last time you checked if your child car seat is still safe to use or is properly installed? Whether you’re heading off on a classic Kiwi road trip or just popping to the shops, take some time to check your seat (or seats) for damage and make sure the expiry date hasn’t lapsed. That’s the advice from Seatsmart, New Zealand’s only child car seat recycling programme. Programme Manager Toni Bye says it’s something which is easily overlooked, especially at this busy time of year. “A lot of people also don’t know child car seats expire, but on average they have a life of life of six to 10 years. So, if you’ve had a seat for a ...

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Child car seat recycling day in Stratford standard

If you live in the Stratford district you can recycle your expired, damaged or unwanted child car seat on Sunday (28 Aug) at the Stratford War Memorial. Recycling is just $10 for the first 50 seats, thanks to Stratford District Council – Te Kaunihera ā Rohe o Whakaahurangi, but if are from outside the region or are outside the 50 seat limit a charge of $25 per seat will apply. Seats can be taken in between 10am and 2.30pm and please bring proof of address. You can also get your child car seat checked for free, so be sure to take advantage of the opportunity and ensure your most precious cargo is safe and sound. For more visit the Stratford District ...

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Be SeatSmart before you travel this festive season standard

The road trip is a Kiwi tradition over the holidays, so now is a good time to check the safety of the seat your most precious cargo travels in. The manager of the country’s only child car seat recycling programme, SeatSmart, is urging parents and caregivers to check their children’s seats aren’t expired or damaged before heading off for the holidays. “Many people don’t know that child car seats have expiry dates,” says SeatSmart programme manager Toni Bye. “On average a seat will have an expiry date of six to 10 years.” Plunket Regional Injury Prevention Manager Simone Budel says there are a variety of reason for an expiry date on seats. “Frequent use and exposure to sunlight can damage ...

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Free child car seat recycling in Ashburton standard

Ashburton residents can now recycle their expired, damaged or unwanted child car seats, for free, through the SeatSmart programme, with collection sites in Ashburton, Rakaia and Methven. This comes after the Ashburton District Council partnered with the national child car seat recycling programme to offer the service. Ashburton is the only district where it is free to recycle a seat, thanks to support from the council. Service Delivery Group Manager Neil McCann says the initiative supports the council’s goal of reducing waste ending up in landfill, which is a great outcome for the community. “We are proud to be partnering with the SeatSmart programme to provide this free service. A variety of common household goods are already accepted free of ...

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Seven new SeatSmart sites for Canterbury standard

People in Canterbury have even more options for recycling child car seats as seven new sites become available in the region. SeatSmart partnered with the Waimakariri and Hurunui district councils to introduce the new drop-off sites, which sees the total number in New Zealand grow to 29 in eight regions. Four sites are also due to be available in Timaru soon. The new Canterbury sites will be located at transfer stations and resource recovery parks in Amberley, Cheviot, Hanmer Springs, Waiau, Culverden, Rangiora and Oxford. These add to the two currently in Christchurch and one in Rolleston, and make Canterbury the region with the most sites for child car seat recycling. Programme manager Toni Bye says it is great to ...

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SeatSmart celebrates 6000th seat standard

SeatSmart reached an exciting milestone in October when we collected our 6000th seat. The seat was collected from Baby on the Move Botany in Auckland. The programme was officially launched in April 2016 with the aim of tackling the large number of child car seats going to landfill each year. At least 40,000 child car restraints reach their expiry date each year in New Zealand. Most end up in landfill, despite around 90 per cent of a typical seat being recyclable. SeatSmart aims to tackle this waste issue and at the same time raise awareness of expiry dates on car seats which in turn improves safety for children on our roads. The plastic from the seats is recycled into new ...

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Extreme heat reduces integrity of child car seats standard

While not everyone in NZ deals with the same temperature extremes as Canada (except maybe central Otago!) this is a good reminder to dispose of your child car seat when it expires – “Extreme heat reduces integrity of child car seats”. If you’re unsure how to find the expiry date on your child car seats you can read our guide or talk to a trusted car seat technician. Watch this video from the Weather Network in Canada:

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Problems turn into solutions standard

3R’s project manager Michelle Duncan answers a few questions about our latest programme, SeatSmart. How did it all start? The project started when I had an expired car seat and was told the only disposal option was dumping it in landfill.  For me, landfill should be the last resort, not the only option.  So, I took the issue to my colleagues at 3R and we decided that we could change the outcome. Thanks to the project, the outcome will now be that 92% of the car seat materials brought in can be recycled. When did it launch? The SeatSmart programme launched on 1 April with a pilot in Auckland, Hamilton, Hastings and Nelson. It follows the 18-month initial project which looked ...

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SeatSmart in Revolve magazine standard

The SeatSmart project featured in the December edition of Revolve, the magazine of WasteMINZ, the largest representative body of the waste and resource recovery sector in New Zealand. Waste is an opportunity Sometimes waste issues seem like the proverbial elephant, too big to eat in one mouthful. So we wait, hoping for legislation, landfill bans or consumer action to force widespread change. In a few isolated cases this might happen; mostly it doesn’t. Alternatively the waste elephant can be viewed as a whole heap of bite-sized pieces, with each waste type representing an opportunity to improve outcomes. This is the approach that 3R took when investigating a product stewardship solution for children’s car seats, now called SeatSmart… Read the article.

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