Apr 28, 2008

Most Recycled Product in America

The automobile industry is often tarred by the environmental lobby as a profligate user of natural resources, but when it comes to cars, we in America have a tendency to use their components over and over again.  The recycling of newspapers, water bottles and cans pales in comparison to the recycling of automobiles. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 95 percent of all automobiles are recycled, beating both paper and plastic. Millions of vehicles will reach the end of their individual roads this year, and the Automotive Recyclers Association is predicting that 11.4 million of those will be recycled.

The junkyards of yesterday are quickly being replaced by today’s automotive recyclers. These high-tech facilities are capable of recycling more than 84 percent of an individual vehicle and thus preventing millions of tons of automotive parts and materials from going to landfills. Advanced technology in the industry allows everything from floor mats and instrument panels to upholstery, aluminum and steel to be recycled for use in new automobiles and other consumer products.

The raw materials that go into building a vehicle are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive, so manufacturers are not only designing how a car will be put together but simultaneously how it will be taken apart. U.S. automakers continue to research and implement new technologies to make their cars more recyclable and ultimately have less impact on the environment. What is more amazing, vehicle recycling is the 16^th-largest industry in the country.