Auto Salvage Processes Help the Environment by Reducing Waste
Over one million cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles are sold in the United States each month. Some of these sales are made to first-time car buyers, but most are sold to individuals who are replacing older vehicles. If the buyer’s original vehicle is still in good shape, it can be resold to another buyer. However, if the car is older then there is a good chance it will be decommissioned.
Many cars that are no longer in driving condition wind up being dumped in landfills, which is a major concern for environmentally-conscious individuals who are worried about the amount of waste that winds up in landfills. Fortunately, auto salvage processes provide an alternative that keeps cars out of landfills.
According to estimates, roughly 76% of a car’s parts can be salvaged or recycled, which is a higher percentage than any other complex manufactured goods. Auto salvage refers to the process of removing and reusing vehicular parts from inoperable parts, before then safely disposing of the other parts.
Usable parts are sold to buyers in a self-serve junkyard so that buyers can inexpensively acquire needed parts for a current or projected automobile. Environmentally friendly auto salvage procedures begin with pre-treatment.
During pre-treatment, the vehicle is prepared for disassembly. In this stage, fluids such as fuel, oil, and coolant are drained so that these fluids do not leak onto the ground at a self-serve junkyard and contaminate groundwater. The individual or business performing pre-treatment also removes the tires, battery, and gas tank. Some of these parts can be used on other vehicles and are therefore re-sold.
Even parts that are not in re-sellable condition can be repurposed. Gas tanks can be recycled as scrap metal once the fuel is removed, and tires can be re-treaded, used as ground rubber, or burned for energy at licensed facilities.
Once pre-treatment is completed, auto salvage yards will then inspect the remaining parts to determine their condition. In some cases, the yard might determine that a car can be restored and opt to sell the whole vehicle together. Usually, the business will find that only some of the parts within the car can be re-sold. Many of these yards then make note of their available parts in an online database so that buyers can search for needed parts.
Cars with parts that will be re-sold are placed in a junkyard or a self-serve junkyard so that buyers can search for necessary parts. The buyer might be looking for hard-to-find parts that are needed for a car that is no longer produced or could simply be searching for cheap parts to lower a repair bill.
Parts that are typically purchased in these settings include entire front or rear ends, motors, transmissions, body panels or bumpers, electronics, and wheels. After all re-sellable parts have been purchased, the car frame is placed into a crusher so that metal parts can be sold for scrap and non-metal parts can be safely disposed of in a landfill.
To acquire inexpensive or hard-to-find parts while also helping the environment, visit the local auto salvage yard.
