helmet - trash or recyclable?

[OakLeaf]

It's all EPS regardless of the brand of helmet. If you're familiar with the Snell Foundation, their recommendation is good enough for me.


ETA: from Arai's website:

All Arai helmets are warranted against defects in materials and workmanship, and are serviceable only for the properly fitted* first user for 5 years from date of first use, but no more than 7 years from date of manufacture. It should be replaced within 5 years of first use.

Shoei's warranty is identical. So, they figure one of their helmets doesn't appreciably degrade over 2 years before first being placed in service.

Giro's recommendation is three years after date of purchase, not date of manufacture. Bell just says three years, without specifying when that starts. We had some discussion on this board a few months back as to whether the three years was valid (due to its being an extreme lightweight helmet) or simply a sales tactic, but in either event, it's the date of purchase that counts to them, as well.
I know that 5 years was specified on the Trek helmet I'm going to be replacing this fall - because that was the helmet I bought after a 10 year hiatus from cycling, so I actually read the instruction sheet Other than that one, I haven't read an instruction sheet recently.