If your car has completely gone to scrap but you feel bad about just dumping it, there are a few things you can do to be more environmentally friendly. If it’s just the engine that’s gone, of course, buying a used engine is one of the most ecologically friendly ways to get your car up and running again, but if it’s more than that, there are some things you can do.
Safety Hazards and Little Leaks
There are still a lot of things hiding inside of your car that can be harmful to the environment. This particularly includes large amounts of fluid waste: antifreeze, oil, gasoline, wiper fluid, and other liquids that kept your car running smoothly previously are now little more than possible hazards. When you’re ready to dispose of your car, make sure you check rules and regulations regarding proper care and recycling methods.
There are many websites and charities that accept cars for recycling. Some charities can use them, and in some cities, junkyards will pick up your car free of charge. Again, following the above link will help find recycling centers near you.
Each year, somewhere around 10 million vehicles in the United States alone are disposed of, and approximately 95% of those cars are recycled. 75% of the materials in those cars are completely re-used. So what does get recycled?
First, there’s the metal. Cars have a good deal of metal in them, and metal is a premium product on the world market. With a bit of care, most of the metal in the car you recycled can be re-used for wires, metal plating, pipes, or anything else you can imagine.
Next is the battery. Many cars use lead-acid batteries, and recycling programs for these have long been in use. In fact, nearly all car batteries are re-used in new car batteries.
Other commonly recycled parts are the car’s tires. Aside from being used for swings over a river, the rubber in car tires is put to new use in anything from playground treading to pavement to providing fuel for kilns.
As for all of those previously mentioned fuels, those can be cleaned and recycled or used as alternate fuel sources if you drop them off in the right places.
Why recycle? Because recycling uses much less energy than creating or mining new materials, makes use of what we already have, and saves money, too. Because even if 95% of old cars are recycled, that’s still half a million cars every year that completely go to waste, fill up landfills, and leak toxic waste into the soil. Because recycling your car keeps this planet just that much safer.