Car Seats Junk Pickup Only Recyclable in Pieces While whole car seats aren’t recyclable, they can be recycled in pieces. You’ll need to disassemble the seat so you can recycle the plastic, metal and fabric components separately. Did You Know? The Damage Is There, Even When You Can't See It Car seat expiration dates (or 6 years, if unmarked) shouldn’t be overlooked. Even if the car seat doesn’t look damaged, the materials it’s made out of degrade over time, especially with regular exposure to UV light through car windows. Be careful when buying used: only accept a used car seat from someone you know and trust. Safe Trumps Green When buying a car seat, green isn’t always best. Experts don’t recommend buying used, even though it’s greener than buying new. Organic seat covers won’t shield your child from the toxic leaching of flame-retardant materials, either. If you want to incorporate being green and healthy into your car seat choice, check out Healthy Stuff’s Children’s Car Seat Study.