More than 76% of each scrapped vehicle (by weight) in the United States is recycled, according to the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA). Frank Hampshire, MEMA director of research, said more than 10 million vehicles reach the end of their useful lives each year in the United States. An unfortunate public misconception is that scrapped vehicles have little or no value, according to Hampshire.
Scrapped automobiles are not sent to the local landfill; they are salvaged for reusable parts, steel, and iron. According to the Steel Recycling Institute, the steel industry recycled enough steel from old cars in 1999 to produce more than 13 million new vehicles — a 91% recycling rate.
“The parts remanufacturing industry also recycles more than $37 billion in parts each year through rebuilding and remanufacturing,” Hampshire said. Components such as oil, batteries, filters, and coolants are recycled throughout a vehicle's life.
The Filter Manufacturers Council — a MEMA product group — reports that one in two used oil filters in the United States was recycled in 1999. The Scrap Tire Management Council reports that 177.5 million scrapped tires annually are going into a specific market: ground and used in products such as playground cover, soil additives, or flooring/matting; burned as an alternative fuel source; or used in civil engineering projects.
The United States is the world trendsetter in scrapped-vehicle recycling. In the European Union (EU), the scrapped-vehicle issue has become a major matter of concern. The EU has passed mandatory takeback and recycling programs that hold producers responsible for their cars' post-life.