Where to Take Expired Car Seats: Trade-Ins and Recycling (2026)

The easiest place to take an expired car seat is a store trade-in event: Target accepts any old car seat twice a year and gives a 20% Target Circle bonus toward new baby gear. Between events, a Clek seat can be mailed back to Clek, and other brands go to a local recycling program that accepts car seats. Whatever you pick, take the seat out of service first so nobody can reuse it. This guide covers the options and their 2026 dates, how to read your seat’s expiration label, and how to dismantle a seat safely.

Where to Take Expired Car Seats: Your Options at a Glance

Pick by what you own and when you are ready to drop the seat off. Details for each option follow the table; programs change, so the dates and terms below are as of October 15, 2026.

Option	What it takes	What you get or pay	Timing	Source
Target Car Seat Trade-In	Any old car seat, dropped at a participating Target store	20% Target Circle bonus toward new baby gear	Two events a year; 2026 events ran April 19 to May 2 and September 20 to October 3	Target corporate pages, April and September 2026
Clek recycling program	Clek seats only; Clek says it cannot take other makers’ seats	A recycling kit with a prepaid UPS label, plus a 10% coupon for clekinc.com	Ordered through Clek whenever the seat is retired	Clek recycling page and support article
Local recycling program	Varies by program; ask before you go	Varies	Varies	Britax and Evenflo guidance
Walmart	No current standing program documented	A one-time 2019 event gave a $30 gift card	Event ended September 30, 2019	Walmart corporate news, August 2019

Target’s pattern is the one to plan around: two roughly two-week windows a year. The fall 2026 window closed on October 3, and Target’s fall announcement does not list the next dates, so check Target’s site before you carry a seat to the store.

Why Car Seats Expire

A car seat expires because the plastics, foam and webbing age, and because safety rules and testing keep advancing. Britax says materials such as plastics and foams can degrade past the expiration timeframe, and that an older seat may not protect as well as a newer model. Evenflo adds that labels and instructions may be lost or unreadable, and that spills, cleaners and debris can affect a seat over time.

Maker guidance on how long a seat lasts is not uniform. Evenflo says each manufacturer sets its own useful life and that, in general, expiration dates range from 4 years up to 10 or 12 years. The clock normally starts at the date of manufacture on the label, not the day you bought the seat, though Evenflo notes some brands allow calculating from the purchase date.

Maker	Stated lifespan	Where to find the date	Source
Evenflo	10 years from manufacture for its seats now; seats made before January 2025 may differ, so follow the date on your seat	Label on the bottom, side or back of the seat	Evenflo blog, March 17, 2026
Britax	Generally 6 to 10 years from manufacture, depending on the model	Serial label; many models made after 2018 also print the expiration date there	Britax support FAQ and recycling guide
Any brand	Check the manual if the label shows only the manufacture date	Manufacture date and model number labels	NHTSA used car seat checklist

For a longer look at lifespans, see our guide on how many years a car seat is safe to use.

Checking the Condition of Your Car Seat

Before choosing where to take it, confirm what kind of seat you have, because the answer changes the options. NHTSA’s used car seat safety checklist says a seat may be okay to use second-hand only if it has never been in a moderate to severe crash, has its manufacture date and model number labels, has no recalls, has all its parts and has its instruction book.

• Past the printed date: retire it. It cannot be sold, donated or handed down.
• In a moderate or severe crash: retire it, even if it is in date. NHTSA says to replace seats after such crashes and never to use one that has been in one.
• In a minor crash: NHTSA says no automatic replacement, and defines minor as a crash where the vehicle could be driven away, the door nearest the seat was not damaged, no one was injured, any air bags did not deploy and the seat shows no visible damage. Follow the maker’s instructions; see NHTSA on car seat use after a crash.
• Recalled but still in date: contact the maker, since NHTSA notes some problems can be fixed.

Retail Trade-In Programs

Retail events are the simplest drop-off because they take seats of any type and often give a discount on the next one. They are also the least predictable, since each one runs for a limited window.

Target Car Seat Trade-In Event

Target says guests can bring any old car seat to a participating Target store during the event and receive a 20% Target Circle bonus to use on new baby gear. Its September 2026 fact sheet calls this the 10th year of the program and reports that it has recycled more than 3.8 million car seats, keeping more than 63.7 million pounds of material out of landfills, with the recovered materials made into more than 2 million Brightroom and Room Essentials products.

The 2026 dates were April 19 to May 2 and September 20 to October 3. Britax says it has supported the event since its start in 2016, and that the event runs with Waste Management. If you miss a window, keep the seat out of the car and plan for the next one, or use one of the options below.

Walmart and Other Retailers

Walmart’s corporate newsroom announced a car seat recycling event with TerraCycle for September 16 to 30, 2019, in which shoppers could trade in used seats at the service desk for a $30 gift card, with a limit of two per household and booster seats excluded. That was a one-time event. Ask a store service desk whether anything is running now rather than relying on the 2019 terms.

For any other retailer, ask two questions before you drive over: does the store accept expired seats, and does it want the seat whole or dismantled?

Manufacturer Recycling Programs

Maker programs are rarer than people expect, and the one well-documented example takes only its own seats.

Clek Recycling Program

Clek says it began operating a car seat recycling program in 2013 and now works with partners in the United States and Canada. In the United States, you put the Clek seat in its original box or one of similar size, order a recycling kit, apply the prepaid label and drop the box at a UPS location. The kit comes with a 10% coupon code for clekinc.com. Clek’s support article says oversize package fees may apply, so check the current price on Clek’s recycling page before you order.

The limit matters: Clek states that, due to facility restrictions, it cannot accept car seats from other manufacturers. It also reports that 95% of the components it receives are recycled by weight, with molded nylon parts and fabric covers the exceptions.

Other Brands

Britax states that it does not directly offer a car seat recycling program. It tells owners to research local programs that accept car seats and to take part in trade-in events such as Target’s. Evenflo’s expired-seat guidance likewise sends owners to a local program that accepts car seats, with regular waste services as the fallback. For other brands, check the maker’s support page for the current policy.

Local Recycling Centers

Whether a local program takes a car seat is a local decision, so there is no national list to rely on. Britax says some communities offer car seat recycling programs and suggests checking with local waste management for disposal guidelines in your area. Ask the program how it wants the seat delivered and whether it takes the plastic shell only, since Britax notes that not all components may be recyclable.

How to Find Car Seat Recycling Near You

1. Search your city or county waste or recycling department site for car seat, and call if it is not listed.
2. Look for a Target trade-in window and confirm the dates on Target’s site.
3. If the seat is a Clek, order Clek’s recycling kit instead.
4. Check the maker’s support page for the brand-specific policy.
5. When you call, ask: Do you accept expired seats? Whole or dismantled? Is there a fee? Does the seat need the cover removed?

If you are shopping for the replacement, our guides on infant versus convertible car seats and installing a car seat safely cover the next step.

Preparing Your Car Seat for Recycling

Evenflo and Britax both say to remove the fabric cover and cut the harness straps so no one can pick the seat up and reuse it. Combine their steps:

1. Remove the fabric cover.
2. Cut the harness straps. Britax’s wording is to cut off all webbing.
3. Remove or obscure the serial number and manufacture date, per Britax.
4. Mark the shell with a permanent message such as EXPIRED, DO NOT USE, per Evenflo.
5. If it is going to regular waste, place it in a large trash bag, per Evenflo.

Check with the program before step 1 if you are using a trade-in or a recycler, since some may prefer the seat whole. A pair of strong shears makes the cutting easier; our pick is the box above, though shears you already own work too.

Can You Throw an Expired Car Seat in the Trash?

Makers treat the trash as the last option, not a banned one. Evenflo says to recycle the seat if your local program accepts car seats, or to dispose of it through regular waste services after the steps above. Britax recommends recycling the plastic shell if possible and checking with local waste management. Dismantling matters most here, because an intact seat at the curb can be picked up and used by someone who does not know it is expired.

Donating vs. Recycling: What’s the Difference?

Recycling is for expired, crashed and damaged seats. Donating is only ever an option for a seat that is still in date, and even then makers differ: Britax says car seats should not be donated, while NHTSA lists the conditions under which a second-hand seat may be okay. Never donate an expired seat; Evenflo says to take it out of use.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Leaving a whole seat at the curb or beside a bin without cutting the straps.
• Selling or giving away an expired seat because the child outgrew it before the date.
• Assuming a maker’s program takes any brand: Clek’s takes Clek seats only.
• Counting on an old event: the Walmart event was in 2019, and Target’s windows are about two weeks long.
• Using the purchase date instead of the manufacture date to work out expiry.
• Skipping the recall check; NHTSA’s checklist makes it part of judging a seat.

This guide does not cover brand-specific drop-off rules beyond Target and Clek; ask your recycler or the seat’s maker for those.

FAQs

How do I know if my car seat is expired?

Find the label with the date of manufacture and the model number; NHTSA says you need both to check for recalls and to tell whether a seat is too old. Britax says its serial label shows the manufacture date, and many models made after 2018 also print the expiration date there. If only the manufacture date is shown, add the lifespan stated in the manual.

Can I throw an expired car seat in the trash?

Only as a last resort. Evenflo’s guidance is to recycle the seat if a local program accepts car seats, or dispose of it through regular waste services after you remove the cover, cut the harness straps, mark it and bag it. Britax suggests checking with local waste management for disposal rules in your area.

Where can I recycle my car seat?

Options are a store trade-in event such as Target’s, a maker program such as Clek’s for Clek seats, or a local recycling program that accepts car seats. Britax says it does not run its own program and points owners to local recycling centers and Target’s event.

Can I donate or sell an expired car seat?

No. Evenflo says an expired seat should be taken out of use, and Britax says car seats should not be sold to strangers or donated. A seat that is still in date may be passed on only if it meets every item on NHTSA’s used car seat checklist.

What do I do with a car seat that has been in a crash?

NHTSA recommends replacing a seat after a moderate or severe crash and says never to use one that has been in such a crash. A crash is minor only if all five of NHTSA’s conditions apply, including that the vehicle could be driven away and there is no visible damage to the seat. Retire a replaced seat the same way as an expired one.

Do I need to prepare my car seat for recycling?

Maker guidance says to remove the cover and cut the harness straps so nobody can reuse the seat, and to mark it as expired. Britax also says to remove or obscure the serial number and manufacture date. Ask the recycler whether it wants the seat dismantled or intact before you cut anything.

Does Walmart take back car seats?

Walmart announced a car seat recycling event with TerraCycle for September 16 to 30, 2019, with a $30 gift card per seat and a limit of two per household. That event was time-limited and booster seats were excluded, so do not plan around it; ask a store’s service desk whether anything is running now.