Kids grow up so fast these days and if you are a parent you know all too well how many car seats small children can go through in their young years. But what is the responsible earth savvy parent going to do with a car seat which is too small, expired or damaged?

The Recycling Association of Minnesota (RAM) in partnership with Clear Channel Outdoor Communications, Carver County and Adult Training & Habilitation Center's (ATHC) Eco-site have created a solution for safely and securely recycling child car seats. A new program, called REseat^TM will securely recycle all old or unwanted child safety seats. This program employs local individuals with developmental disabilities.

"This program is the first of its kind in Minnesota to safely and securely recycle the material in car seats, all of the materials are recycled including the plastic, metal and textiles. We often get calls from Minnesotans who do not want to throw these away so we decided to do something about it," commented Ellen Telander, RAM's Executive Director and creator of the program.

Clear Chanel Outdoor Communications is helping get the word out to Minnesota residents in their effort to support green initiatives affecting our communities. Carver County, ATHC, and the City of Coon Rapids serve as the first collection points for this program in the state.

Locations to drop off child safety seats for recycling include:

• ATHC's Eco-Site
  676 Industrial Blvd., Watertown, MN
  Please call 952-955-1130 for drop off hours.
  
• Coon Rapids Recycling Center
  1831 111th Avenue NW, Coon Rapids, MN
  
• Carver County Environmental Center
  116 Peavey Circle, Chaska, MN

For more information about RAM's recycling programs visit www.recycleminnesota.org.