Grubby, oily and downright dark: the mysterious world of car dismantling
There is a lot of talk in all quarters about protecting the environment, global warming, re-cycling etc etc, including generous comment on various blogs on this website. It is a big deal for us in the office at the moment as we strive to cut down on paper waste.
Although many of us may not realise it, the car industry (or a least a relation) has been making a valuable contribution to a reduction in its carbon foot print for years. It happened really because of economics and originally had nothing at all to do with saving the planet.
I speak of the grubby, oily and downright dark world of the scrap yard - or as they are now widely becoming known, car recycling facilities.
The concept grew out of the need for Joe Public to keep his car on the road at a low cost.
Car gets to end of life, either because it dies mechanically or is written off by the insurance company as being too expensive to repair and ends up in scrap yard for many of its still serviceable parts to become donor parts for another car. The remaining steel is then crushed and re-cycled.
Brilliant. A reduction in the manufacture of new parts and the steel goes back into the system. And this has been going on for years.
If you are not inclined to get under the bonnet yourself, it is quite possible to ask your local garage to source recycled parts for you, or you could source them yourself and supply to the garage to fit. This will save you money and help you rationalise your car usage.
And there is another way. Insurance companies are now under pressure to improve their green credentials. To this end, many are now offering an option to use re-cycled parts as part of a repair. All you have to do is agree to the opportunity. This decision could make an otherwise potential write off suddenly economical to repair, which has to be good. The only downside, of course, is that the supply chain to scrap yards may be staved slightly.
So there you have it - how to use your car and feel good about doing your bit. And it potentially it could be a huge bit!
By the way, if you need to see car recycling in action big time, just check out Cuba where artisans have been keeping 50's American cars on the road for years.
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