Car recycling is one of the oldest forms of recycling. Ever since cars were invented, companies have existed to salvage the metal and spare parts in dead cars.
Car parts must be taken to or picked up by a recycler. Car parts should not be put in your recycling bin at home.
Cars
Vehicles that are no longer in operation can be very valuable for their second-hand parts. Automotive repair businesses and car enthusiasts regularly visit car recycling yards to obtain functioning parts for vehicle repairs.
Selling your old car or car parts can earn you money whilst keeping valuable materials like steel in use for longer. Reusing and recycling cars for their parts prevents these materials from going to waste in landfill. It also reduces our need to extract new resources from the earth which, in turn, reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
When a car arrives at a recycling facility, all engine fluids are safely removed (and recycled wherever possible). Next, all salvageable car parts are removed for reuse or recycling. Finally, the steel and other metals are removed so they can be recycled into products like new car parts.
Most of the metals in cars can be recovered and recycled. However, many of the other materials used in modern vehicles, including plastics, computers, and other synthetics, are a little trickier to separate and recycle. Car manufacturers are developing ways to reduce waste from vehicles when they have reached their end of life, and vehicle recyclers are also working on improving their recycling capabilities.
If your business or workplace has large quantities of car parts to recycle, visit Business Recycling to find a suitable drop-off or pick-up service near you.
Auto Parts Recyclers Association of Australia Inc (APRAA) is a national, non-profit industry association that has sought to improve the recycling of cars, especially from an environmental standpoint.
Find out how to recycle car batteries.
Learn how to recycle used tyres.
