So… What Actually Happens to Scrapped Cars?
It is estimated that around one million cars are scrapped every year—that’s an awful lot of material that can be reused or repurposed.
If sustainability matters to you, recycling your car with an authorised treatment facility (ATF) like A&L Vehicle Recycling is a good way to minimise the amount of waste that ends up in a landfill.
There are many fantastic reasons to recycle your old car—but what exactly happens to a car when it’s scrapped?
Step-by Step Guide to Car Scrapping
- Removing the Wheels
The first step of the recycling process involves removing the wheels, then separating the rubber tyres from the metal wheels.
The rubber tyres will be either recycled or upcycled, and the wheels themselves can be either recycled, sold, or melted down into ingots to be moulded into something new!
- Stripping Down
By law, all scrap and recycling centres are required to follow the stripping down process and facilitate the removal of any harmful or dangerous chemicals. This is also known as the ‘depollution’ process.
Fuel is removed from the car by puncturing the fuel tank. The fuel is then stored in a drum to be recycled. We also remove other potentially dangerous materials such as the steering fluid, coolant, and engine oil.
- Salvaging Parts
Any intact parts that are potentially valuable or in a fit state to be reused are removed from the car. Examples of such parts include the headlights and the wing mirrors.
This reduces the need for more of those pieces to be made, which in turn reduces pollution from the manufacturing process.
- Preparing for the Baler
Contrary to what Hollywood films might tell you, the car doesn’t go straight into the baler. Firstly, the crane crushes the ceiling of the car to make it an easier fit. The crane operator will then flip the car over and use the crane to remove the back axle and engine, which are made from higher grades of steel and more valuable materials, such as aluminium.
- Crushing the Car
This is the fun part—the car is finally placed in the baler, and the crushing begins! The baler machine crushes the car into the smallest possible volume. The crushed cars are then sold on a price-per-weight basis.
We hope this infographic has given you some useful information about the scrapping process and what will happen to your car if you sell it to A&L for recycling.
If you have any questions about the scrapping process, we’d be more than happy to answer them. Give us a call on 01446 701707 or email info@scrap-car-dealers.co.uk today.
Want to scrap your unwanted car? Visit our website today for a free, no-obligation quote!
www.scrap-car-dealers.co.uk
