GUELPH, ON, March 8, 2018 /CNW/ - Every year, an estimated quarter of a million child car seats end up in landfills in Ontario alone. The Co-operators is pleased to announce that its advisors are helping provide an alternative for environmentally-minded local residents. Through a partnership with Green Propeller Recycling, the only not-for-profit child car seat recycling facility in Ontario, old child car seats can now be dropped off at local Co-operators advisors' offices in many Ontario communities to be recycled.

"For decades, the only choice people had to dispose of child car seats that were damaged, expired or which children had outgrown, was to throw it away," said Graham Lewis, founder and executive director of Green Propeller Recycling. "We are working to change that, and by partnering with local Co-operators offices, it is now easier than ever to be part of the solution and keep your child car seats out of landfills."

Green Propeller Recycling is a not-for-profit social enterprise that employs people with barriers to employment to manually deconstruct the used child car seats. This allows the materials to be repurposed to make items such as tote bags, backpacks and reusable steel. The additional drop-off locations announced today represent a very significant expansion of its network in Ontario.

"As an organization committed to making a positive social and environmental impact, we're pleased to support Green Propeller's dual mission of recycling child car seats while providing job opportunities to people who face barriers to employment," said Rob Wesseling, president and CEO of The Co-operators. "People want to do the right thing and recycle their child car seats, and our local advisors are now making it more convenient for them to do that."

In addition to serving as drop-off locations, The Co-operators has made a financial contribution to Green Propeller Recycling. Participating Co-operators advisors' offices are located in the following southern Ontario communities:

 

Those with child car seats to recycle are asked to register and pre-pay online at https://atmo.ca/ under the “select store location” drop down, which will then direct them to nearby drop-off locations. For all Co-operators clients, the fee will be waived.

About The Co-operators:

The Co-operators Group Limited is a Canadian co-operative with more than $48 billion in assets under administration. Through its group of companies it offers home, auto, life, group, travel, commercial and farm insurance, as well as investment products. The Co-operators is well known for its community involvement and its commitment to sustainability. The Co-operators is listed among the Best Employers in Canada by Aon Hewitt and Corporate Knights' Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada. For more information, visit www.cooperators.ca.

About Green Propeller Recycling:

Green Propeller Recycling incorporated as a not-for-profit / social enterprise in March 2017, quickly establishing itself as the first not-for-profit in Canada to recycle child car safety seats. The need to create an experienced board of directors, who could guide the not-for-profit into a sustainable organization, with a solid vision, mission and value statement over the next three years was crucial. 

Green Propeller Recycling used the guiding vision, mission and value statement to align its hiring practices into an operation that values individuals from all aspects of our community. Hiring persons who identify as having a barrier to employment is a key element of the operational structure. Recycling consumer products not currently being recycled is only part of the circular economy, individuals whom have struggled to find sustainable employment, are often overlooked for employment. Green Propeller Recycling refers to this as the value of human capital.

Protecting the environment whilst creating sustainable long-term employment is written into the core of Green Propeller Recycling. Child car seat recycling is a registered program of "1 Less Seat 1 World 2 Keep". For more information, visit https://atmo.ca/.

SOURCE The Co-operators