How can I reuse or recycle an old pushchair/stroller?
Walking down the road the other day – on the way to lunch, I spotted the wheels of a pushchair sticking out of a skip. The next time I walked past, the skip had gone so I couldn’t grab it – but it got me thinking all the same.
I’d like to think that if it was still in a usable condition for a child, they’d have passed it onto someone else – there is an NCT nearly new sale nearby this weekend and it’s been heavily advertised around here for weeks – so I presume it’s damaged in some way.
But just because it’s unsafe for a child doesn’t mean it has no other uses. Our neighbour at the last house would have, as a minimum, reused the wheels for a go-kart or similar. I wonder what other bits could be used for…?
And if it, say, was broken — tears in the supporting fabric or wheel damage — does anyone know if there are any organisations which repair this type of thing for donation to those in need?
(CCA Photo by Chris Denbow. I was tempted to use this photo instead – such a handsome chap!)
I would guess that anyone repairing stuff like this to pass on through an organisation would be responsible for testing them to make sure they meet current standards for child safety.
These standards are so specific and so complicated that I’d guess no one does it, although I may be wrong – some Oxfam stores get electrical items PAT tested by electricians so they’re certified safe for re-sale.
Looking at the photo (and not having a car) it occurs to me that maybe if you ripped out all the seat bits and replaced them with a big tall kitchen bin it might make a good trolley thing for getting heavy shopping home or taking tools etc to an allotment. Assuming the wheels are OK.
If wheels are gone or broken then maybe it’s possible to replace them from a buggy where the wheels are fine but some other part is broken?
Oh dear I’ve just seen the photos of Oreo and am worried that Mizzy would look very cute and be very comfortable in a pushchair…
My granny used an old twin pushchair for grocery shopping. It wasn’t safe for kids, I guess, since the fabric was torn and some safety stuff like the part that keep the kids’ legs in place was gone. But grocery bags don’t need that.
I also knew a guy who delivered newspapers, who reused an old pram to make a large trolley for the paper stacks: He removed the carrier and replaced it with something I think was the kind of large baking trays they use at bakeries: A large steel sheet. It was a lot better than the trolleys his employer could offer, because his trolley had better balance and was much easier to handle. I know, because I filled in for him during his vacation.
So, as long as the wheels and the steel is ok, there are plenty of ways.
Take it apart and use the fabric. Even if its stained, you could use it for rags to clean with.
I was in a similar position recently – there’s a wheel off our Chicco Ponee pushchair. But by far the best use I’ve seen for an old pushchair is a bicycle trailer.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Bike-Trailer_1/