Hey Mr. Green,

Our 16-month-old daughter recently outgrew her car seat, her big brother's from four years ago. We are not going to have any more kids, have no friends who need a car seat,  and charities won’t take them. Is my only option to physically break it down and send the parts to be recycled? I really hate the idea that a car seat that has not been in an accident cannot be reused. —Edward in Bel Air, Maryland

Here’s a challenge that would daunt the most rugged Sierra Club mountaineer: clawing your way up a mass of 10 million children’s car seats. That’s how many are purchased each year in the United States, according to the intrepid recycling experts at Earth911. Since most of them end up getting dumped (the seats, not the kids), this image could be deployed to encourage birth control, abolish cars, or both. But, as you’ve discovered, it isn’t used to tout the recycling of this staggering amount of material. 

The basic problems with reusing car seats are: 1. They may be missing crucial parts that you didn’t even know existed, and 2. Some materials in them deteriorate over time, meaning that they could be unsafe. (Many are considered safe for only five or six years.) If you don’t want to fool around with dismembering the thing and then having to search for recyclers who will take its various components, you could advertise it on Ebay or some other site and hope somebody will take it off your hands. There are places that do accept entire seats, though not many (see here, for example), but they may not be near enough for you to take advantage of. Even if you do find an opportunity to give away or sell the used seat, proceed with extreme caution. Check the date of manufacture and other recommendations printed on the seat or in a users' manual to make darn sure the seat is not so old that it’s dangerous. If not, have it inspected for safety—go to SeatCheck.org and enter your ZIP code. 

For more information, check with the National Highway Transportation Safety Board.  Car accidents are, according to the Centers for Disease Control, the number one cause of children’s deaths in this country. The last thing you want to do is fail to prevent another.