Ford Accepts 100 Used Car Seats at 11th Annual IT e-Waste Recycling Day
This year’s Ford Green IT e-Waste Recycling Day was unique in that, for the first time ever, used car seats were on the list of items accepted for recycling. In all, Ford says that its employees contributed some 100,000 pounds of child safety seats, televisions, monitors, computers, and printers.
”It’s a rare thing to be able to recycle car seats right now, so most people have to throw them in the trash,” said Deb Heed, car seat event organizer and a member of Ford’s Women in Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering. “It’s a safety issue and an environmental issue.”
Car seats are particularly tricky, Ford notes, because it is not recommended that they be resold or donated once they have fallen out of use. The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association suggests that car seats be replaced at least every six years in order to accommodate new safety standards, and since there are few opportunities to recycle them, these seats are often discarded in an inefficient manner.
Ford accepted more than 100 car seats during its 11th annual Green Days event. Sean Adams, Recycle Ann Arbor’s recovery yard manager, says that the process of recycling car seats for their foam, metals, and fabrics is a labor-intensive process.
Wendi Magee, owner of Artifex Detroit, told Ford that she intends to use some of the straps and buckles taken from those car seats in the creation of new purses, messenger bags, and guitar straps.
“The whole purpose of my company is to be green and reduce the amount of garbage in the world,” said Magee. “I’m going to take all this and see what I can get out of it.”
The News Wheel is a digital auto magazine providing readers with a fresh perspective on the latest car news. We’re located in the heart of America (Dayton, Ohio) and our goal is to deliver an entertaining and informative perspective on what’s trending in the automotive world. See more articles from The News Wheel.