How does my old car get recycled?

Cars are the number one most recycled product on the planet. 75% of an average car's content by weight can be recycled. No other complex mass-produced article has so far achieved such a high rate of recycling.

Once your vehicle has been picked up or received by one of Car Heaven’s participating auto recyclers, it will be recycled at their facility in an environmentally responsible way. This recycling process happens in three stages:

1. Pre-treatment: drainage of operating fluids
2. Parts Re-use: dismantling of parts and components
3. Recycling of Materials

Stage One – Pre-treatment
Preparation of a vehicle for dismantling is vital to proper recycling. This includes the drainage of operating fluids such as oil, coolants, refrigerants and fuel, and the removal of the gas tank, battery and tires. It is critical that the draining and proper collection of fluids is performed to prevent any groundwater contamination. The average volume of operating fluids in a car is approximately 19 litres:

Once the fluids and other materials have been removed, they are used, re-used or responsibly disposed of.

Oils and Greases:
Re-used by the auto recycler or removed to a licensed recycling facility.

Coolant, Fuel, Windshield Fluid:
Re-used by the auto recycler or sold to their customers.

Refrigerants (CFCs, HCFCs):
All air-conditioning systems are evacuated by a trained, licensed technician. The used refrigerant is sold to a licensed buyer for re-use.

Gas Tanks:
Punctured, drained and recycled for the metals.

Battery:
This component is either re-sold or removed by a licensed recycling facility.

Mercury switches:
Removed and collected and sent to the Clean Air Foundation’s Switch Out Program www.switchout.ca for mercury recovery and storage.

Tires:
In the absence of a recycling program to deal with rubber from used tires, good quality tires are sold domestically or exported. The remaining tires are exported as a fuel source, used for noise and energy absorbing components, or stockpiled by tire recyclers.

Stage Two – Parts Re-use
Depending on their condition and sales potential, parts and components are dismantled, reconditioned and sold to customers. This minimizes the need for manufacturing new parts.

Parts which are re-used include whole front and back ends, body panels, wheels, windows and windshields. None of the parts of the vehicle which contribute to emissions, (the engine, transmission, exhaust, electrical system, catalytic converter, map sensor, O₂ sensor, cooling system, spark plugs, EGR valve, distributor and starter) are re-used.

Stage Three – Recycling of Materials
Once all the fluids have been drained and the re-usable parts have been removed, the automotive recycler employs the services of an automobile crusher to flatten the vehicle hulk. These flattened hulks are shipped to shredders which pulverize the car into fist-sized pieces in minutes. The valuable ferrous and non-ferrous metals are removed magnetically, and with complex floatation systems. The non-metallic components, known as Auto Shredder Residue (ASR) or fluff, are landfilled. ASR is composed of rubber, plastics, fabric, dirt, foam, glass and metal particles. That is why it is critical to ensure that the hazardous components are recovered before the car is crushed and shredded. Research continues to determine ways to reduce the amount of ASR diverted to landfills, both at the manufacturing and recycling stages in the life of a vehicle.