Car recycling – what happens to cars that are no longer roadworthy?
Cars that are no longer roadworthy are recycled. Recycling is the process of reprocessing and reusing objects. This is important for our environment in order to save resources and to minimise the impact on the environment. That is why individual parts and entire cars are recycled. If your vehicle is no longer roadworthy because it has failed its MOT and the cost of repairs would exceed the value of the car, you can take it to a scrap yard. It will be disposed of properly there. You can also contact the manufacturer of the vehicle. Under the European End-of-Life Vehicles Directive, the manufacturer is obliged to take back the car free of charge.
464,657 vehicles, including light commercial vehicles, were due for recycling in 2019. A car consists of about 10,000 parts, some of which can still be removed and reused or must be disposed of in some other way.
Which cars can be converted?
First of all, all the fluids needed in the car are collected. These include the engine oil, brake fluid, windscreen washer fluid, etc. Since the cars are shredded, the fluids must be removed because they would leak out during the pressing process and end up in the environment.
Recycling individual parts
Some parts, if they are in good condition, have a residual value, including the car battery. These are then sold on by scrap metal dealers. The part most often removed from a vehicle is the catalytic converter. This contains rare metals. But airbags are also removed or blown up because of the explosives they contain.
A car's wheel rims are generally not scrapped. These are stored and resold, just like the other well-preserved parts.
What goes into the scrap press and is shredded?
Everything that is no longer needed goes into the scrap press. The cars are pressed to make them easier to transport and to simplify recycling. The flattened car wrecks are then loaded into containers and taken to a recycling station. There the wrecks are shredded. All parts are gradually separated from each other.
At the end of the process, the car consists of 10 different materials: steel, aluminium, plastic and rubber, fluff – from seat covers etc., metal and plastic, small cables from vehicle electronics, heavy metals, large plastic parts, electrical components, glass shards and sand. These materials are sorted and processed further. Thus, the entire vehicle is recycled and processed for new vehicles or other things.
Not quite ready for the scrapheap, but ready for a holiday? We also offer secure and affordable parking for older vehicles. McParking – your car park at BER.
