Do you know when it’s time to get rid of that expired car seat?
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A car seat is arguably one of the most important pieces of baby equipment you’ll purchase and use daily, but what do you do with your car seat after it has expired or you no longer need it? How do you know if your car seat is expired or not? What do you do with an expired car seat? While you’ll want to check with the recommendations for your specific car seat, the average life span of a car seat is 6 years. A website run by the Academy of American Pediatrics, healthychildren.org, is an excellent resource for all things related to pediatric health and safety. In this article they recommend never using a car seat if it is:
- Too old
- Visibly Damaged
- Missing Labels, Instructions, or Parts
- Has been in an accident
- Has been recalled
- Has an unknown history
Okay, so now that you know your beloved expired car seat’s days are done the most important thing is to stop using it and dispose of your car seat in a way that ensures no one attempts to reuse it. Of course, we at First Time Mom are about all about the three R’s: reduce, reuse, and recycle, but when it comes to car seat safety trumps it all. Thankfully for our Minnesota readers, there is a great option for recycling your car seat.
[Tweet “Do you know when you should retire that car seat? #childsafety”]
Minnesota Target Expired Car Seat Recycling Program
Between September 1 and 11, Minnesota residents can recycle used car seats! 56 Target stores across Minnesota are hosting a car seat collection program to help residents reduce household clutter without sending waste to landfills. All car seats collected through this program will be recycled through TerraCycle so that each component will see a second life.
Residents should bring their car seats to any Target store (see below) and look for Target’s car seat collection box in the front of the store or in the baby/kids floor pad section.
Store # | Address | City | State | Zip |
2025 | 2000 Bunker Lake Blvd NW | Andover | MN | 55304 |
643 | 15150 Cedar Ave | Apple Valley | MN | 55124 |
2390 | 15560 Pilot Knob Rd | Apple Valley South | MN | 55124 |
1832 | 1500 109th Ave NE | Blaine | MN | 55449 |
5 | 2555 W 79th St | Bloomington | MN | 55431 |
240 | 6100 Shingle Creek Parkway | Brooklyn Center | MN | 55430 |
693 | 7535 West Broadway Ave | Brooklyn Park | MN | 55428 |
861 | 1300 State Highway 55 NE | Buffalo | MN | 55313 |
2340 | 810 County Rd 42 W | Burnsville | MN | 55337 |
1303 | 215 Balsam St N | Cambridge | MN | 55008 |
1831 | 11990 Business Park Blvd N | Champlin | MN | 55316 |
862 | 851 W 78th St | Chanhassen | MN | 55317 |
1352 | 111 Pioneer Trail | Chaska | MN | 55318 |
1144 | 3300 124th Ave NW | Coon Rapids | MN | 55433 |
662 | 8655 E Point Douglas Rd S | Cottage Grove | MN | 55016 |
3 | 5537 West Broadway Ave | Crystal | MN | 55428 |
360 | 2000 Cliff Lake Rd | Eagan | MN | 55122 |
68 | 1744 Suburban Ave | East St Paul | MN | 55106 |
220 | 8225 Flying Cloud Dr | Eden Prairie | MN | 55344 |
2313 | 7000 York Ave S | Edina | MN | 55435 |
1244 | 356 12th St SW | Forest Lake | MN | 55025 |
2200 | 755 53rd Ave NE | Fridley | MN | 55421 |
1245 | 875 General Sieben Dr | Hastings | MN | 55033 |
2519 | 7841 Amana Trail | Inver Grove Heights | MN | 55077 |
2189 | 8900 Highway 7 | Knollwood | MN | 55426 |
52 | 2500 East Lake Street | Lake Street | MN | 55406 |
1484 | 18275 Kenrick Ave | Lakeville | MN | 55044 |
1448 | 749 Apollo Dr | Lino Lakes | MN | 55014 |
2193 | 15300 Grove Circle N | Maple Grove North | MN | 55369 |
2223 | 300 Clydesdale Trl | Medina | MN | 55340 |
1095 | 1650 New Brighton Blvd | Minneapolis NE | MN | 55418 |
100 | 13201 Ridgedale Dr | Minnetonka | MN | 55305 |
1356 | 4848 County Rd 101 | Minnetonka | MN | 55345 |
2180 | 1447 E 7th St | Monticello | MN | 55362 |
1375 | 900 Nicollet Mall | Mpls Nicollet Mall | MN | 55403 |
1185 | 2199 Hwy 36 E | North St Paul | MN | 55109 |
1211 | 2323 Highway 3 S | Northfield | MN | 55057 |
820 | 8600 Springbrook Dr NW | Northtown | MN | 55433 |
2135 | 7900 32nd St N | Oakdale | MN | 55128 |
2456 | 15800 87th St NE | Otsego | MN | 55330 |
664 | 4175 Vinewood Lane N. | Plymouth | MN | 55442 |
1522 | 151 Tyler Rd N | Red Wing | MN | 55066 |
2300 | 6445 Richfield Pkwy | Richfield | MN | 55423 |
1456 | 21615 S Diamond Lake Rd | Rogers | MN | 55374 |
2101 | 1515 County Road B W | Roseville | MN | 55113 |
1833 | 14333 MN-13 | Savage | MN | 55378 |
1272 | 1685 17th Ave E | Shakopee | MN | 55379 |
619 | 3800 Lexington Ave | Shoreview | MN | 55126 |
260 | 3601 Highway 100 South | St Louis Park | MN | 55416 |
2229 | 1300 University Ave W | St Paul Midway | MN | 55104 |
931 | 2021 Market Drive | Stillwater | MN | 55082 |
751 | 975 County Road E | Vadnais Heights | MN | 55126 |
2449 | 875 E Main St | Waconia | MN | 55387 |
2046 | 1750 S Robert St | West St Paul | MN | 55118 |
694 | 7200 Valley Creek Plz | Woodbury | MN | 55125 |
2406 | 449 Commerce Dr. | Woodbury | MN | 55125 |
When you turn in an expired car seat, you’ll receive a coupon for 20% off the purchase of a new one. Thank you, Target!
After the recycling program ends, TerraCycle will separate the different components of the car seats (cloth elements, plastics, metals, etc.) and process them for use in other products.
If you do not live in Minnesota and need to dispose of a car seat check with your local Highway Traffic Safety Administration to see if they have a car seat recycling program or know of one in your area. If you cannot find a recycling program please disassemble your car seat before discarding it. Here’s to keeping your family healthy and safe!
2 Comments
Meaghan Flanagan Angle · August 29, 2016 at 8:51 pm
We don’t have any expired car seats, but we do need to switch to a convertible. Hopefully I can find an expired one from a friend. Thanks for letting us know that Target is doing this!
Bert @ First Time Mom MN · August 29, 2016 at 8:52 pm
You’re welcome!!
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