Recently we reported on automotive recycling from repair shops. Now a Canadian researcher is reporting on "end-of-life" vehicle recovery. Susan Sawyer-Beaulieu, a post-doctoral researcher in civil and environmental engineering at the University of Windsor has spent several years studying what happens to "end-of-life" vehicles, and has found an automobile recycling rate of approximately 80 percent. Most vehicles are stripped, shredded, sorted and recycled. Reusable parts account for 12 per cent. About 20 percent is still destined for landfills, an amount that the automotive industry is hoping to reduce.
In addition to better addressing environmental concerns, waste reduction also saves the industry money from tipping fees and better positions it in case governments ban the dumping of automotive materials at landfills, as in Europe.
Recovery from autos includes steel, other ferrous and non-ferrous metals, foam, plastics, glass, rubber, residual oils and fluids, and fabrics. Once removed, the remaining hulk is sent to a shredder.
Research was sponsored by the Auto21 network and the Ontario Automotive Recyclers Association.
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