With several ways of going about the job of car recycling, it is best to remain informed of the all the options. It is currently easier to dispose of a car than it has ever been before. The salvage market has witnessed rapidly escalating scrap values, with breakers yards growing increasingly competitive in a bid to secure business. Adverts are popping up all over the place, swelling the classified sections in local magazines and papers, offering increasingly attractive prices for unwanted vehicles. These adverts are not just offering free collection of vehicles, they also pledge differing sums of cash, and figures are regularly rising. Consequently, it’s safe to assume that many people are opting to dispose of their vehicles via the private sector rather than using the Council, whose fee paying service is growing increasingly unattractive. This, whilst understandable, is not entirely good news.

City and County Councils are subject to stringent environmental targets. The disposal of waste is, therefore, scrupulously monitored, ensuring that all processes abide by the complex set of strict EEC directives. Thus, TV’s and white goods as well as motor vehicles must be processed in a way that complies with the most cost efficient and environmentally sound means available. Whilst there are few alternatives to municipal services for the disposal of household items, the vast majority of people still look to the private sector when dealing with the issue of disposing of their cars.

Commercial breakers yards are also subject to EEC legislation, but are less likely to employ the same kind of exacting standards that are used by the public sector. Private operations are geared to make profits, making them less likely to put green considerations before commercial interests. Municipal services, are conversely geared to maximise the environmental sustainability of their operations, relegating concerns for the commercial value of scrap metal to a lesser priority.

This can prove to be a little awkward. People wishing to dispose of their vehicle have to consider which way to go. On the one hand they have an organisation that will process their vehicle ethically, but will charge them to do so, and on the other, they have access to the private sector, who will collect their car without charge, and will even give them a bit of cash, but may not process their car in such an ethical manner.

Fortunately, the recent emergence of agencies that act as an interface between the recycling sector and the homeowner are making the choice of which direction to go in a lot easier. These organisations are often social enterprises which has been created to offer people a viable alternative to the established order. These social enterprises will ensure that vehicles are scrapped using optimally sustainable methods, but will not charge for collection. They also donate some of the revenue from scrapping the car to charity, which the donor can select from a list of recommended charities, ensuring that the money will go to a meaningful cause.