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Giving Child Car Seats a Second Life

Did you know that in BC an estimated
85,000 - 100,000 child car seats end up in the landfill each year?


Currently, child car seats are not included in a provincially regulated recycling program in BC. However, some municipalities have programs in place for recycling child car seats and some recycling companies accept child car seats – often for a small fee. To find out if there’s a child car seat recycling program available through your municipality, call your city/town’s waste management/engineering department.

To find out if there’s a recycling option in your area contact the Recycling Council of BC - 604-732-9253 or 1-800-667-4321. Or check their website which has a searchable database by item: www.rcbc.ca.

Some communities have private recycling options:

  • Abbotsford
    Abbotsford-Mission Recycling Depot – Pho: 604-855-0886 – Cost: Free drop off. Open Mon-Sat (8am-5pm).
  • Burnaby 
    Reclaim Plastics – Pho: 604-549-6880 or info@reclaimplastics.com – Cost: $22 per car seat and $16 per booster. Open Mon-Fri (9am-4:30pm). 
  • Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) includes Salmon Arm, Revelstoke, Golden & Sicamous landfills and Falkland, Scotch Creek and Skimikin transfer stations CSRD – Pho: 250-832-8194 – Cost: $5 per seat.
  • Hope
    Mattress Recycling – Pho: 604-324-3211 – Cost: $15 per seat + GST. Open Mon-Fri (7am-3:30pm).
  • Maple Ridge
    Maple Ridge Recycling Depot – Pho: 604-463-5545 – Cost: Free drop off. Open Mon-Sat (8am-5pm) and Sunday (9am-5pm).
  • Mission
    Mission Recycling Depot – Pho: 236-477-3634 – Cost: Free drop off. Open Mon-Sun (8:30am-4:30pm).
  • New Westminster
    Queensborough Landing Return-it Depot – Pho: 604-540-4467 – Cost: $20 per seat. Open Mon-Sat (9am-5pm) and Sun (10am-4pm).
  • North Vancouver
    Waste Control Services – Pho: 604-987-1493 – Cost: $14 + GST per car seat and $12 + GST per booster. Open Mon-Sat (9am-3pm). 
  • Richmond
    Richmond Recycling Depot – Pho: 604-276-4010 – Cost: Free for Richmond residents. Open Mon-Sat (9am-6:15pm).
  • Port Coquitlam
    Keep It Green Recycling Ltd – Pho: 604-341-6495 – Cost: $10 per seat.
  • Surrey
    Semiahmoo Bottle Depot – Pho: 604-531-7669 – Cost: $20 (plus GST), Credit Card/Debit (no cash). Open Mon-Sunday (8:30am to 4:30pm). Please see associate for assistance.
  • Vancouver
    PMD Recycling Solutions – Pho: (250) 893-3851 – See website for mobile locations on the 3rd Saturday of the month (9am-noon). Cost: $20 per seat or $12 if you fully dismantle the seat (fabric, metal, foam, plastic are separated). 
  • Vancouver
    United We Can – Pho: 604-681-0001 – Cost: $22 per seat and $16 per booster. Open 8am-5pm daily.
  • Victoria
    Hartland Landfill Public Recycling Depot – Pho: 250-360-3030 – Cost: Free drop off. Open Mon-Fri (9am-5pm) & Sat (7am-5pm). Solid plastic only, no metal or clamps, remove the padding. For Capital Regional District residents only.

 

Past Initiatives

BCAA Car seat recycling event

In spring 2023, BCAA partnered with Queensborough Landing Return-It to offer British Columbians a convenient and environmentally sustainable way to dispose of used or expired car seats.

Over 2,000 child car seats were diverted from the landfill, giving a second life to these tough to recycle materials. Plus, we donated $5 for every child car seat collected, contributing over $10,000 to support four local non-profit organizations who provide programs and resources for children and families in local BC communities.

Recycling used and expired child car seats not only keeps kids safe on the road by removing potentially dangerous car seats from circulation, it also helps to reduce waste and protect our environment, ultimately benefiting everyone in our communities!