Everything that we one will one day come to the end of its life, but parting with things can be difficult - especially if you're conscious of the impact you're having on the environment. When it comes to cars, there are so many things that can go wrong that can cause your car to be no longer road-worthy. When this happens, you have two options, repair the car, or send it to the scrap yard. But is scrapping your car bad for the environment?
Today we're going to look at what happens to cars that go to the scrap yard to determine whether the process is eco-friendly or not. So, if you've been thinking about scrapping your car, but want the low-down on the environmental impact, just keep reading.
What happens to cars at the scrap yard?
According to data gathered by Compare the Market, "The target for end-of-life vehicles is 95% recovery and 85% recycling by average weight of each ELV." There are lots of different parts of vehicles that can be stripped down and recycled including, but not limited to:
- The catalytic converter
- Fabric from the interior and seats
- Plastic elements from the dashboard
- Car batteries
- Rubber from the tyres
- Metal from the chassis
- Engine oil
Second-hand parts
Another great way that car parts can be recycled is in a breaker's yard. There are lots of examples of cars that come to the scrap yard that has sustained some damage, but still contain a lot of working parts. These cars can be useful for people who are looking to replace a particular part of their car but don't want to fork out for a brand-new item. Being able to break down and reuse parts from old cars is beneficial for the environment, and it stops perfectly good working parts of cars from sitting in the scrap yard for the rest of their lives!
What can recycled parts be turned into?
Wondering what happens to all the parts that can be recycled? They go on to become a huge range of different things - some things that you might not expect. Once parts have been removed from a car, they basically become raw materials again, which means the fabric that's stripped from your car seats, might end up as part of someone's sofa! Let's take a look at some more things that your car parts go on to create.
- Windscreens and windows - can be turned into glass bottles, fibreglass insulation, ornaments, drinking glasses, and more...
- Scrap metal - like steel and aluminium can be melted down and re-purposed into all kinds of things!
- Precious metals - that are commonly found in catalytic converters can be taken out and turned into jewellery or used to create sophisticated medical devices.
- Car tyres - can pollute our air if they're burnt rather than recycled. If they're recycled, they can be turned into asphalt for paving/roads, rubber chippings for surfaces and more...
- Plastics - can be turned into garden furniture, household bins, carpets, clothing, pipework etc. It's often melted down to make it more versatile!
- Fabric - including the mats and carpets from the interior of your car might end up in cushions, mattresses, sofas, chairs, and more...
So, if you've been thinking about scrapping your car but have been worried about the impact it has on the environment, hopefully this puts your mind to rest. If you'd like to scrap your car, we can provide you with a quote free of charge! Simply put your registration number and postcode into our website and we'll provide a quote instantly! For more information, get in touch.
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