Vehicle recycling

A car crusher is often used to reduce the size of scrapped vehicles for simplified transportation to a steel mill.

Certain high value parts such as electronic modules, alternators, starter motors, infotainment systems - even complete engines or transmissions - may be removed if they are still serviceable and can be profitably sold in either "as-is" used condition or to a remanufacturer for restoration.

[4] This process of removing higher value parts from the lower value vehicle body shell has traditionally been done by hand.

In this business model, cars often sit in a dedicated yard for anywhere from a few weeks to several months, and patrons can bring their own tools and remove any parts they want to buy.

A technique that is on the rise is the mechanical removal of these higher value parts via machine based vehicle recycling systems (VRS).

The remaining shell is then crushed flat, or cubed, to facilitate economical transportation in bulk to an industrial shredder or hammer mill, where the vehicles are further reduced to fist-sized chunks of metal.

Glass, plastic and rubber are removed from the mix, and the metal is sold by multiple tons to steel mills for recycling.

Thus, recyclers of end-of-life vehicles save an estimated 85 million barrels of oil annually that would have been used in the manufacturing of other parts.

[3] Likewise, car recycling keeps 11 million tons of steel and 800,000 non-ferrous metals out of landfills and back in consumer use.

Before the 2003 model year, some vehicles that were manufactured were found to contain mercury auto switches, historically used in convenience lighting and antilock braking systems.

In 2018 the EC published a study Assessment of ELV Directive with emphasis on the end of life vehicles of unknown whereabouts.

The study proposed and assessed a number of options to improve the legal provisions of the ELV Directive.

[10] If a vehicle is abandoned on the roadside or in empty lots, licensed dismantlers in the United States can legally obtain them so that they are safely converted into reusable or recycled commodities.

[3] In early 2009, a voluntary program, called Retire Your Ride, was launched by the Government of Canada to encourage motorists across the country to give up their old vehicles that emit pollutants.

[11] Between 2009–10, the United Kingdom introduced the scrappage incentive scheme that paid GBP2,000 in cash for cars registered on or before 31 August 1999.