What You Should Know About Auto Recycling
If you have a car that is no longer running and the repairs would cost too much, you might want to consider recycling it. Selling the car as-is may be difficult unless you find someone that wants to use the parts or do a massive rebuilding project. Here is more information about recycling your car.
Parts That Can be Recycled
Instead of the entire vehicle being recycled as-is, most recycling centers will remove different parts from the vehicle and recycle them separately. A good portion of the vehicle can be recycled, including anything made of glass, metal, iron, rubber, and fabric. Some parts of your vehicle that will probably get recycled include:
- Windshield glass
- Car battery
- Tires
- Radiator
- Engine
- Oil filter
- Floor mats
- Seatbelts
- Car seats
- Carpets
- Rubber hoses
- Transmission
The Vehicle Is Inspected First
When you donate a vehicle to be recycled, that recycling center first takes some time inspecting the vehicle. They want to know if any repairs can be done which would allow them to sell it, or if they would be better off recycling it. In most cases, they willrecycle it, but they still inspect it as the first step. The inspecting process can also let them know what types of parts they want to remove in order to be recycled.
Preparation Work Is Done Next
Once the vehicle has been inspected and the recycling center has chosen to recycle parts, they start the preparation steps. This begins with draining all fluids from the car, including any brake fluid and lubricant, transmission fluid, radiator fluid and antifreeze, water, gas, and oil. All parts should be drained completely before the dismantling begins. Once the fluids have been drained, they are disposed of properly. Most hazardous liquids require safe disposal, while some oil and gas is filtered and reused.
Dismantling includes removing parts from inside and outside the car. Every recycling center has a different method for doing this. Some will remove everything from under the hood and under the car first, leaving the tires, window glass, and interior parts for last. Others like to completely strip the inside first and remove the transmission, engine, and other parts last.
Recycling and Crushing Is the Final Step
Lastly, the parts collected will go into separate recycling bins, which are usually separated by the type of materials. For example, all windshield glass goes in one recycling bin, while anything made of metal, steel or iron will go in another. Once this is done, they will begin crushing the remaining body of the car.
For more information on this topic, contact a local auto recycling center, like Jeff's Towing.