Second-hand car seats: Why You Shouldn’t Buy Or Sell Them
12 February 2024
Is It Illegal To Sell A Used Car Seat?
Is It Illegal To Sell A Used Car Seat?
Technically, it’s not illegal to sell a used car seat in the UK.
However, it is very much not recommended to buy or sell second-hand car seats.
When buying a second hand car seat there is no reliable way for us (or a buyer) to know the history of your car seat - including whether if it's had any bumps or accidents, however big or small.
We also can't tell how long it's been in storage (both in store before purchase AND at it's first home), and believe it or not, car seats have a shelf life of around six years.
While car seats in the UK don’t come with an expiration date they do come with a Service Life, date of manufacture or manufacturer's suggested expiry date on the base.
These dates are similar to a best-before date on your food packets and are there to let you know that the plastic and other components of your car seat may weaken and degrade over time.
Technology and safety standards are also continuously being updated. All car seats need to meet the R44.04 or R129 car seat regulations which you’ll find on an orange label.
Seats that are labelled R44.03 are still legal to use but this does mean the car seat will have been made with less modern materials. R44.02 and 44.01 have been illegal to use since 2008.
In terms of the environment and the circular economy, car seats aren't great. They are big hunks of plastic that are hard to recycle and can't be reused. But being parents ourselves, we know that safety really does have to come first.
While it isn’t illegal to sell a used car seat in the UK, here at KiDSiE, as a second-hand baby gear listing site, we prioritise safety and don’t allow the listing of secondhand car seats on our platform.
What to do with your old car seat in the UK?
1. Recycling at Your Local Recycling Center
1. Recycling at Your Local Recycling Center
If you’re lucky, it’s possible that your might be able to take your old car seat to your local recycling center.
Unfortunately recycling centers aren't all created equally, so this is very dependent on whether your council accepts ‘hard plastic’, but if they do - it’s likely that they will take your car seat and it can be recycled!
You should be able to search on your local council website for what you can and can’t recycle, you’ll be looking for ‘child’s car seat’ on the list.
If they are able to take the car seat for recycling - don’t forget to cut the straps. This is a requirement for recycling car seat and is stop it being used by someone else who doesn’t have the safety details of the car seat.
Why are car seats hard to recycle?
Car seats are made for a complex variety of materials including hard plastic, metal, foam padding and fabrics.
Part of the strict safety requirements means that these materials are tightly bonded together which makes it challenging to separate them for efficient recycling.
Many recycling facilities are not equipped to handle this complex mix of materials found in car seats, further complicating the recycling process.
2. Terracycle Baby Equipment Zero Waste Box
2. Terracycle Baby Equipment Zero Waste Box
If your local council won’t accept your car seats for recycling - Terracycle have come up with a clever solution for this. It is however, quite a bit pricer.
The Terracycle Baby Equipment Zero Waste Box offers an eco-friendly option for recycling your baby car seat, along with other baby equipment too. Starting at £149, you choose the box size, fill it with your car seat and then schedule a courier collection (included in the cost) where they will then safely recycle all of the collected materials.
3. Check with the car seat manufacturer
3. Check with the car seat manufacturer
Silver cross are the first brand in the UK to offer a recycling service for all of their car seats, with a promise that nothing will go to landfill. They will even collect your old seat free of charge.
At the time of writing this is the only brand in the UK who have an in house recycling scheme, but here’s hoping that this doesn’t stay the case for much longer.
4. Lending your car seat with confidence
4. Lending your car seat with confidence
If your car seat is less than five years old, well-maintained, and has never been in an accident, then you can consider lending it to friends or family - use the checklist below to check if this might be an option. Only lend your car seat to a friend if it ticks all of these boxes.
- It’s not been involved in any type of crash or collision, even a tiny ding.
- It’s not more than 5 years old. Your car seat will have a date on it - if you search your car seat model this should help you find the label.
- It’s been tested to the minimum current standards - in the UK this is R129, which is the safest standard, or R44/04. You’ll find this information on an orange sticker or label on your seat.
- There’s no visible damage to the plastic or polystyrene.
- The buckle fastens with an audible ‘click’.
- The harness isn’t worn or frayed
- You can tighten and loosen the harness easily.
- You still have the instruction manual
- The seat fits securely into your vehicle.
5. How To Dispose Of Old Car Seats
5. How To Dispose Of Old Car Seats
If your seat doesn’t tick all of the boxes and you’re not able to recycle your car seat, then your final option is to dispose of your car seat safely.
In the UK, you won’t be able to put this out with your household waste, you will need to take your old car seat to your local tip instead.
If you’re not able to take it yourself, you might be able to arrange for your local council to pick this up as household waste at a small charge, or you can pay for a private company to do this for you too.
What should I do with a car seat that’s been in a crash?
What should I do with a car seat that’s been in a crash?
- Check with your car seat manufactuter. Some brands, such as Maxi Cosi offer a free replacement service if your car seat is involved in a crash.
- Contact your insurance - many car insurers will cover the cost of a new car seat and base if you are in a collision.
- Dispose of your old car seat safely. You can either choose one of the recycling options above if available to you, or alternatively take it to a household waste centre.
When disposing of a car seat that has been in a crash, make sure to cut the straps of the seat to ensure this car seat isn’t accidentally used by another child.
In Summary
In Summary
Overall, we are still fairly limited in the UK for environmentally friendly options for disposing of old car seats, but hopefully you have clear action plan for getting rid of car seats you might be holding on to and cluttering your space.
If you are having a clear out, KiDSiE is a simple and easy way to sell all your pre-loved kid’s gear. Your one stop shop for second hand and outlet kids stuff.
