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Free child car seat recycling pilot program launches in Kelowna

The program aims to take dangerous car seats off the road while supporting local non-profits
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The BCAA’s new pilot program aims to keep dangerous child car seats off the road while supporting local non-profit organizations. (Kampus Production/Pexels)

BCAA will be launching a free pilot program for Kelowna families to safely dispose of used or expired car seats for free.

The program will run from July 5 to 31 and is free for anyone in the area. Residents can drop off child car seats Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Kelowna BCAA Auto Service Centre at 1545 Keehn Road. Anyone looking to donate a car seat must fill out a registration form and show a copy of their confirmation email at the centre.

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“We’re excited about BCAA’s new pilot program because recycling is an environmentally friendly way to take potentially dangerous seats out of circulation while giving a second life to many of the materials,” said Shawn Pettipas, BCAA’s director of community engagement.

For each donated seat, $5 will go to local charity Mamas for Mamas — a non-profit that supports mothers and caregivers in crisis by providing resources for families facing poverty-related struggles.

BCAA also partnered with ATMO Recycling for the program. ATMO Recycling is a Canadian non-profit social enterprise dedicated to child car seat recycling. The organization says Seventy-six per cent of each car seat will be reused in some way, with plastic and metal being used as raw materials, fabric being used as fuel for high-burn furnaces and straps and belts being repurposed as dog leashes and harnesses.

“ATMO Recycling is delighted to work with BCAA to close the loop on the disposal of expired and used car seats,” said Graham Lewis. Lewis is the board chair for ATMO Recycling.


@paulatr12
paula.tran@kelownacapnews.com

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