Is Vehicle Scrapping Really Eco-Friendly?

Broughshire Waste Metals • 14 June 2022

When your vehicle is totalled or no longer driveable, you may consider scrapping the car. Most people find that recycling their old vehicles is more cost-effective than selling them off. But is this really the best way to eliminate vehicles?

Previously, it wasn’t terribly eco-friendly to scrap your vehicle. The environmental damage that occurred from leftover fluids that stayed in the vehicle had quite the impact. Today, new regulations prevent this type of toxic overflow. Instead, any toxic fluids are removed from the vehicle and then disposed of correctly, to minimise their impact.

Apart from the fluids in the vehicles, recycling cars can be very good for the environment.

What Makes Scrapping Eco-Friendly?

Scrapping involves stripping and sorting out the various metals in the car, so this helps prevent the need to mine new metals. Since mining can be quite detrimental to the environment, it’s better to recycle.

Vehicles may end up in the landfill if you simply have it hauled away. This can cause all sorts of problems and should be avoided whenever possible. A proper scrapping company will ensure your car parts stay out of the landfill, reducing some of the issues such as hazardous liquids seeping into the soil.

Recycling metal also uses less energy than processing new metal. When you’re finished with your vehicle, it’s best to recycle it in place of leaving it to sit for years in a garden.

Steps to Make Your Vehicle Scrapping Better for the Environment

Before you take your vehicle to a scrapper, you should look at selling off any parts that are still intact. For example, there’s no reason to take the new tyres to the scrapper if you’ve just purchased them and the issue with the vehicle relates to the engine.

Everything from the battery to mirrors and even parts of the actual body can be sold off to those who wish to repair their vehicle. This can be a good way to recycle parts of your car and it means you will have the ability to make some money off it.