What happens to your car when you sell it to Vehicle Recyclers?

The modern vehicle recycling process is a great example of environmental responsibility. Each automobile goes through a systematic process designed specifically to maximise the amount of material that can be retrieved to reuse and recycle and to minimise the environmental impact.

You do know how beneficial it is for the environment to sell your car to vehicle recyclers, but have you ever wondered what happens with all the components of your car? Let us have a look…

1. Antifreeze & Washer Fluid

First, all fluids are separated and drained out in containers. Second, reusable fluids are resold onsite or sent to reputable recycling facilities to be reprocessed and reused.

2. Batteries

Batteries are tested first to check if they are in good condition and then sold to customers for reuse. The rest are sent to a licensed recycling facility to be rebuilt.

3. Freon and Other Refrigerants

Licensed Technicians carefully remove the gases from air-conditioning systems to ensure none of them escapes into the atmosphere. The used refrigerants are sold to a licensed buyer to be recycled and reused.

4. Oils

The oil is drained from all cars, then tested and reused for energy recovery in licensed used oil furnaces to provide heating in their buildings. Any excess oil is sent to recycling units to be reprocessed and reused.

5. Doors & Body Panels

Doors and body panels of a vehicle that are in suitable condition are bought by body shops to repair damaged vehicles. Remaining unusable parts are reclaimed as scrap and utilised in metal recycling.

6. Wheels

Wheels that are in good condition are sold for reuse. In other cases, they are reconditioned. Whereas, damaged wheels are reclaimed as scrap metal.

7. Tyres

Quality tyres with a lot of tread life are sold in the market for reuse. Others are sent to local tyre recyclers and processed as tyre crumb to make new products or to pave highways, gardens or parks.

8. Fuel

Gas tanks are punctured using a special equipment, then drained and removed. The fuel inside the gas tanks is used by the auto recyclers in their own machinery or sold for reuse.

9. Mercury Switches

Manufacturers use mercury switches to control convenience lights and ABS systems for a period of time. There are hundreds of thousands of them still in vehicles on the road today although they are no longer being installed in new vehicles. “Switch Out” is a national program designed to prevent the highly toxic heavy metal from being released into the environment by removing these switches from end-of-life vehicles.