The Enviromental Cost Of Scrapping Cars In The UK
by RICHARD JENKINS
Every year in The UK over two million plus vehicles reach the scrap yard. Each one of these vehicles contains an average of twenty two litres of hazardous waste products. Unfortunately less than half of all scraped cars are recycled properly. This means that every year a great deal of toxic fluids are being left to seep into the environment.
Many drivers simply do not realize that they must go to an authorized treatment facility (ATF) to dispose of their old cars. ATF's are sites which have been licensed by the Environment Agency in England & Wales, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency in Scotland or the Environment & Heritage Service in Northern Ireland, to de-pollute end of life vehicles to standards set by DEFRA (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs). These site will issue a driver disposing of their car with a certificate of destruction. This proves that their car has been treated and recycled. Figures show that less than half of British drivers who dispose of their car currently obtain the certificate.
The End-of-Life Vehicles Directive which passed into European law in October 2000 and came into effect on 3 November 2003 states that all vehicles are de-polluted and all hazardous liquids are removed to prevent damage to the environment. These liquids are mainly engine oil, fuel, coolant, transmission oil, brake fluid and screenwash all of which can be incredible damaging to the environment.
With around a million scrapped cars incorrectly recycled per year this means a lot of harmful pollution continues to take place. This pollution will get worse as the numbers of vehicles on British roads increases. These hazardous fluids can find their way into the local eco-system damaging the local water supply and wildlife. However disposing of a car in the correct way is a simple process, one every driver should be aware of.
Richard Jenkins is owner of the driving test and driving schools website. A site for learner drivers providing guides on topics such as the driving theory test and cheap young drivers car insurance .
