The Environmental Impact of Vehicle Dismantling

In 2002 there were roughly 30 million Vehicles beingthese substances are dealt with.
used in the United Kingdom. Each year about 2 million 
vans and cars are sent for scrapping due either toThe process of complete vehicle recycling must start
age or road traffic accidents. Also, roughly, 2 millionwith the obvious and that is the removal of working
new vehicles are recorded as new and on the road.and serviceable parts for re-use by other users of the
 same type of vehicle. The vehicle breaking industry
The average vehicle is composed of many differenthas been successfully doing this for a long time. This
types of materials each of which has to be dealt withhas now led to a parts replacement service linked by
separately within the dismantling and recycling process.the internet and offering guarantees and fast delivery
As the content of ferrous metals in the average carservices.
as fallen due to lighter construction and fuel efficiency 
measures the amount of plastics has increased. ThisNext most obvious has to be the recycling of the
has led to a rise in the more difficult to recycleferrous metals that form the majority of the vehicle's
components within the car or van itself.makeup. The content of ferrous metals has fallen over
 recent years due to the increased use of plastics but it
Referring to the Annual report, 2001, from ACORD, thestill forms a significant portion of the overall and is the
average content of a vehicle breaks down as follows.easiest to remove and recycle into new ferrous
 products.
Ferrous metals             68% 
Non-ferrous metals       8%There are so many separate processes required to
 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  9%recycle and re-make a vehicle into new and useful
Glass                          parts and products, but none is more needed than the
3%process and standardisation of recycling plastic.
Tyres                           
3%Because of their qualities, such as weight reduction,
Rubber                         2%tooling and moulding ease, plastics have become more
Fluids                          2%common over the last 25 years. In 1984 a mere 8.5%
Battery                         1%of an average car was made of plastic whereas
Electrical Parts             1%today, the figure has risen to a more considerable 11%.
Process polymers        1%The fuel savings over the lifetime of the vehicle help to
 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  1%justify this extra usage. However due to
Other                          non-standardisation of the polymer types, the recycling
1%of this plastic is problematic. An industry wide standard
 to mark the plastics with its polymer type would be the
The combination of these materials within the car partsfirst and most sensible route to higher recycling rates
makes extraction extremely difficult.and perhaps would avoid a significant proportion of the
Some can only be ground and disposed of in landfill.121,000 tonnes of automotive plastic that is land filled
Tyres form a major part of the vehicle dismantlingevery year.
arena, being a consumable part they form a major 
part of the whole picture. For instance, in 2001, in theThe process of attaining higher recycling rates for
United Kingdom, there were more than 50 million tyresdismantled vehicles is a growing and organic
scrapped. the enormity of the situation takes a littlemovement, with many different areas of expertise
getting used to.coming together to provide the answers. It is a
 worthwhile and valiant effort, one that once achieved
Legislation imposed on the vehicle dismantling processwill see a massive reduction in the amount of waste
has helped to identify the problem and quantify it, butburied back into the earth because we have little or no
not solve it. Car and van breakers have come under aidea what to do with it.
new regime that allows little flexibility in the way that