Is auto recycling good for the environment?

Cars are one of the largest polluters on the planet, and typically cause more harm than good to the environment. Between oil production, mining for metals, and carbon emissions, you may think there is no way cars could be good for the environment. But there is one way you can give back a little when your car reaches the end of its life. 

Recycle it!

Recycling your car with an auto salvager, like Rusty’s Auto Salvage, ensures your roadrunner will have a life after death. As an auto salvage company, we are experts in taking apart the car for steel, precious metals, rubber, plastic, and more. If you take your car to a junkyard, it will just sit there rusting away. But by selling it to an auto salvage company, you ensure the car is almost completely reused.

The majority of your car is made of steel, which is very easy to recycle. Steel from automobiles can be used in construction, manufacturing, or even be used to make new cars! But steel is not the only metal in your car. There is often aluminum and other easily recycled materials in the body of the vehicle.

Your engine is valuable both for the parts that can be resold, and for the precious metals that make up certain aspects of the engine. Within the catalytic converter, you can find platinum, palladium, and rhodium. But don’t go looking for them yourself. Only an expert can extract them without ruining the metals. When you recycle your car, those metals can be reused in another vehicle, saving the planet from invasive mining for new sources. 

Another valuable part of your car is the tires! If in good condition, tires can just be resold as a whole. However, often a junk car also has junk wheels. In this case, the tires are repurposed and either remade into new tires, or the rubber can be used in other products. Given that rubber is often produced synthetically from oil, recycling tires can greatly benefit the planet. 

There are parts of the car that are not recyclable, and unfortunately must be disposed of as trash. These can be contaminated liquids, dirt, or other particles that just can’t be reused. However, this is likely a very small amount of the car relative to its total size. So imagine being able to turn 98% of your big truck into new materials, and just having a tiny amount of actual waste. Amazing! Auto recycling is the way to go. 

If you’re thinking of getting rid of your junk car, make sure to sell it to an auto recycler to get the best deal for you and the planet.