Laundry chutes are a definite child safety hazard.
when I was a kid my grandmother’s very old house had one, and no matter what the adults said we kids did drop things down it, tried to climb down it, tried to push each other down it, and dropped the cat down it (fortunately into a full basket of laundry) it was just The absolute definition of “attractive hazard.”
Current recommendations are that any laundry chute be at least 1 m up off the ground and have a childproof lock.
I’ll admit, if I lived in a house with a five-year-old I would permanently close the chute and not use it. I’m sure my grandmother’s cat would have agreed with me. 
FWIW