Getting a new car is always exciting, but what happens to your old motor once you’ve committed to some shiny new wheels? Everyone is aware of the growing need to recycle, but many of us aren’t aware of the fact that we can recycle parts our cars. Whether your parts are functioning or not, they can be recycled using the right services. Find out what parts can be recycled here:
Bodywork/metals
Metalwork accounts for much of the make-up of most modern cars, weighing around 1300kg on average, and for this reason it is one of the most commonly recycled materials in cars. Despite the European-wide push to reduce carbon emissions in motoring, cars have been getting heavier since the 1970’s which leads to higher fuel consumption and a greater amount of emissions produced. Aluminum tends to account for around 10% of the total weight and it is commonly found in car bonnets, rims, door handles, engines, and bumpers.
Glass
Imagine transforming what was once a windscreen into a drinking glass, some floor tiling, or even a custom piece of jewellery? This is exactly what happens when you choose to recycle car glass. Autoglass is also readily recycled, despite contrary belief due to the fact that the glass is sandwiched between two layers of plastic. Technologies have been developed to help increase how much Autoglass can be recycled.
Tyres
An astounding one billion tyres are unused every year – but not all of them go on to be recycled. While we don’t allow tyres to be placed into our skips and they are banned from landfill sites, they can be recycled at the correct facility. Tyres tend to be made from a combination of rubber, sulphur, zinc oxide, and hydrocarbon as well as other compounds, they can be repurposed to suit an array of new purposes. One of the most familiar uses for recycled tyres is as the material, mulch, used commonly in children’s play parks for its durable qualities. They can also become involved in energy recovery, through the process pyrolysis which allows them to generate gas and oil, with the potential to replace coal in some cases — this in turn helps to reduce harmful emissions.
Batteries
Car batteries are one of the most widely recycled parts in the UK, with a staggering 90% reportedly recycled — a figure which certainly doesn’t apply to standard product batteries, which achieves only a 28% recycling rate. We’re more than willing to discuss a specialised solution to help you dispose of your car batteries, but we don’t accept them in our skips.
Plastics
Plastic has only become a regular feature in cars over time, as in their initial production there was virtually no plastic content. Nowadays, plastic is found in many forms inside modern cars, from the bumpers, to the dashboards, to the gear knobs. Plastic accounts for an average of 120 kilograms of the cars total weight, so this is definitely one to ensure that you recycle!
So, find budget skips and a wide variety of options available, then make your car go the extra mile with some smart recycling!
