Walmart ends car seat trade-in program early due to 'overwhelming response'
The front of a Walmart store is shown in a file photo. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA - Walmart has ended its first-ever car seat recycling program nine days early due to "overwhelming response."
The intiative began on Sept. 16 and offered $30 for participants who traded in car seats. It also limited a household to two gift cards.
However, the program was such a success that Walmart says it reached its goal of one million car seats earlier than anticipated.
Originally, the trade-in was planned to last until Sept. 30 but officials ended it on Sept. 21.
"In less than one week, we collected more than 1 million car seats – or the equivalent of diverting over 200+ million plastic bottles from landfills, according to TerraCycle," Walmart officials wrote in a statement.
Their original goal was to collect enough car seats to divert 35 million plastic bottles from landfills.
Nearly 4,000 Walmart stores nationwide participated in the country’s largest car seat recycling event.
"We look forward to hosting future events supporting the needs of parents and families," officials also added.