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For many parents, getting rid of an old car seat usually means sending it to the landfill. But a Fraser Valley pilot program is changing that, helping families recycle expired seats and giving nearly every component a chance to be reused.

And in upcoming events: A 40th anniversary celebration in Hope, a self-guided garden tour in Chilliwack, and another busy weekend at Abbotsford's farmers' market.

– Emily

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Car seats are notoriously difficult to recycle — they're made of mixed materials, labour-intensive to disassemble, and not covered by any provincial recycling program in B.C. Left in a landfill, they can take up to 1,000 years to decompose. For most families, dropping off an old seat means it ends up in the trash.

A pilot program launched by the Fraser Valley Regional District and Burnaby-based Reclaim Plastics is working to change that — and the response from Fraser Valley families has been remarkable.

Since launching in July 2025, the program has collected and recycled more than 1,500 car seats across collection sites in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and Mission — nearly 10 tonnes of material diverted from landfills. The original target was 1,000 seats over two years. The program hit that number in less than six months, and has now been expanded with a goal of recycling an additional 4,000 seats by July 2027.

It's not a simple process. Recycling a single car seat takes up to 45 minutes of manual labour using specialized tools — and most of that work is done by hand.

"Deconstructing a car seat is a highly labour-intensive process," says Bash Jamal, co-founding and managing partner at Reclaim Plastics. "While the process is time-intensive, recycling these materials plays a crucial role in diverting waste from landfills, where they can take up to 1,000 years to decompose and impose heightened risks for climate change, environmental pollution and human health."

Keep reading»

🏘️ BC Housing plans to cut provincial funding for security patrols at Chilliwack shelters and supportive housing, offloading the cost to the city, which already spends over $5 million annually on homelessness-related expenses. [Fraser Valley Today]

🧊 An ammonia gas leak at Langley Twin Rinks triggered a shelter-in-place order on June 19, but no injuries were reported and the leak was contained. [Global News]

🗑️ Chilliwack city council has approved a 50 per cent reduction on residents' May utility bills following widespread problems with the city's new curbside collection contractor. [Fraser Valley Today]

💔 A 105-year-old Mission woman died of smoke inhalation five days after being left behind in a stairwell during a March fire at Chartwell Carrington House. Her family says no one had a checklist to ensure all residents were evacuated. [Mission City Record]

🤽 Three Langley swimmers — Joshua Coxford, Elliot Griffoen, and Nash Porter — will represent Canada at the World Aquatics Men's U18 Water Polo Championships in Portugal from June 27 to July 4. [Langley Advance Times]

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Rolly's Restaurant 40th Anniversary: Hope's Rolly's Restaurant marks 40 years on June 27 at 888 Fraser Ave.

Abbotsford Farm & Country Market: Abbotsford's longest-running farmers' market runs every Saturday at Jubilee Park through October 31, with local farmers, food producers, and crafters.

Rotary Garden Tour: The Rotary Club of Chilliwack hosts its annual self-guided garden tour throughout Chilliwack on June 27, with tickets at $30 per person supporting local community projects.

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