Vehicle dismantling and recycling is an industry where at the end of their useful life, cars are dismantled to get spare car parts. Here a car crusher is normally used to reduce the size of the scrapped auto which makes it easier to transport to the steel mill. Each year, around 12-15 million cars go through this process to get the metal they contain. The cars are shredded to recover the metal content that is used for recycling. The remainder is put in a landfill. Currently, about 75% of the materials are recycled whereas the steel industry also benefits with over 14 million tons of steel.
The process is quite complicated as there are numerous parts that need to be recycled and legislation needs to be followed. There are also very many hazardous materials that need to be removed. The process normally begins with the incoming vehicles being inventoried for the spare parts. Recyclers inspect the engine for leaks by starting it. Fluids are drained and removed after inventory. When this is done, the remaining hazardous materials like mercury, battery and sodium azide are gotten rid of. From here all the other products and parts inside are removed and the remaining shell of the car is then crushed before it is recycled.
There are numerous benefits that come about with vehicle dismantling and car breakers as it helps to save natural resources and energy. For instance, the steel industry saves enough energy that can be used to power around 18 million homes for a whole year on a yearly basis. Recycling metal also makes use of about 74% less energy when compared to making metal. This means that recycling of the vehicles helps to save an estimated 85 million barrels of oil each year that could have been used to manufacture other parts. This also keeps around 11 million tons of steel as well as 800,000 non-ferrous metals from landfills as they are taken back to the consumer for use. All this is because all components and parts from an old car that can still be used do not go down to waste.
Some of the policies that the industry works with are that autos found in yards or lots or abandoned on roadsides can be obtained to be safely converted into recycled and reusable commodities. Some of these are restored by classic car specialists who use the mig welders to get them back in shape. Other factors you should be aware of are that cars are the number one recycled products and that a passenger car by weight typically consists of around 65% iron and steel. It is also important to note that generally car bodies are made 24% from steel that has been recycled.
For specific vehicle brands like BMW, vehicle dismantling and recycling is an economic activity that is sustainable and is an integral part of the value-adding chain which includes developing alternative and fuel-saving auto concepts. Old vehicles are normally a key source of vital secondary used car parts. If you have a junk truck or car, you can easily convert this into cash by taking it to a reputable centre that deals with dismantling and recycling where you will also get to dispose of it in an environmentally friendly manner. To source, local vehicle parts in Ireland visit Part Finder or if you are in Northern Ireland where you can make a request for what you are looking for and it will be automatically sent out to all the car breakers and dismantlers.