A free take-back scheme has been launched to ensure the recovery of all end-of-life cars. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), which supports the interests of the UK automotive industry, has partnered with recycling company Autogreen to deal with cars that are at the end of their useful lives.
The End of Life Vehicles (ELV) Directive requires the environmentally responsible disposal of all cars and vans that weigh up to 3.5 tonnes. Manufacturers of these vehicles are obliged to provide a free take-back scheme. However, cars that belong to brands that are no longer trading, or who do not have a parent company in the UK, remain unclaimed, with an estimated 700,000 of these so-called ‘orphan vehicles’ on roads across the UK.
SMMT has now taken on responsibility for ‘orphan’ vehicles by partnering with recycling company Autogreen to ensure that all unclaimed cars and vans can be disposed of and recycled responsibly – with no cost to the consumer.
According to SMMT, cars are already one of the most efficiently recycled consumer products. The new scheme is thought to have come about following the change in EU legislation at the start of 2015, which has seen the ELV recycling, reuse and recovery target rise from 85% to 95%. In addition, less than 2% of waste from vehicle manufacturing plants was sent to landfill in 2015, representing a 90% reduction since 2000. In the same period, energy and water usage have been cut by 48.1% and 43.6% respectively, while ‘well to wheel’ CO2 emissions are down by a significant 40.2% per vehicle produced.
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said of the initiative: “This new partnership is further evidence of just how seriously UK vehicle manufacturers take their environmental responsibilities. The industry has a strong record, not just on recycling, but on emissions, energy and water usage reduction as a result of huge investments into innovative technologies, production processes and facilities. Thanks to this latest initiative, every motorist in Britain can now be assured that when their vehicle reaches the end of its life it will be disposed of in a way that is not just ecologically sound, but cost-free – no matter where they live.”
For more information about the take-back initiative, go to the SMMT website.
We operate a national automotive battery take-back scheme on behalf of a major international battery manufacturer. We collect and recycle scrap vehicle batteries, providing excellent market rates and free, prompt and reliable collections of scrap lead-acid batteries across the UK. To find out more, or to request a collection, contact a member of our battery trading team on 0845 129 7177.
