Central Hawke’s Bay carseat recycling scheme gets into gear

CHBDC community development lead Christine Renata (left), Pregnancy and Parenting Hub co-ordinator Hannah Tully and CHBDC environmental waste manager Robert Hon.

Central Hawke’s Bay residents can now recycle their unwanted child carseats for free by dropping them off at one of three locations across the district.

This comes after a successful pilot in September last year, which saw 47 carseats collected during the month-long event. Sixteen of these seats were safety-checked and then donated to other families and 23 were able to be recycled.

The programme, which is a joint initiative between the Safer CHB Road Safety network and Central Hawke’s Bay District Council is funded through the Waste Minimisation Fund.

Central Hawke’s Bay District Council community development lead, Christine Renata says, “We are thrilled to be able to work with our partners to provide this service permanently to Central Hawke’s Bay.

“We know many families have carseats that they no longer need and this scheme provides a way for them to donate to others that need a carseat, while reducing what goes to landfill.

“Those receiving the carseats can rest assured that they have been checked by a carseat technician and are safe to use. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

The carseats will be checked by Roadsafe HB and those that are non-compliant, expired or unusable will get recycled through 3R’s SmartSeat programme. Those that are compliant will be repurposed and distributed to those in need in the community via a range of organisations.

Central Hawke’s Bay District Council environmental waste manager, Robert Hon says, “Programmes like this important initiative highlight the choices we have before throwing something away. Most child seats, except for snap-and-go prams and polystyrene seats, can be recycled. Reducing any amount of waste taken to landfill helps us extend the life of the landfill and helps us transition towards a less wasteful society.”

If you require assistance with carseats, including checking the expiry date on a seat, help with fitting your seat to your vehicle or just general advice, drop in to the regular clinics held in the CHB Health Centre carpark on the second Tuesday of every month between 10am and noon.

Unused carseats can be dropped off at the Pregnancy and Parenting Hub at the Tukituki Medical Centre, the Central Hawke’s Bay District Council office in Waipawa or the CHB Community Opshop in Ruataniwha St Waipukurau.