The company today unveiled a new website – recycleyourcar.co.uk – which allows the last owners of vehicles to identify their nearest scrapyards as approved by Sims Group.
 Sims Group hopes to attract last owners of end-of-life vehicles to its network of treatment facilities |
The website has a database that can be searched by entering a post code. The system can also be used to search scrapyards that are not on Sims Group's approved list, though this is less obvious to the website user.
Under Europe's ELV Directive, last owners will be able to take old cars back for disposal free of charge to designated “authorised treatment facilities” – sites that officially meet legal environmental standards for dismantling vehicles.
This system of free take-back for old cars is guaranteed by motor manufacturers, who are supposed to deal with any negative costs if world metal prices ever slip below a profit-making level for recyclers.
Networks
The free disposal applies to all ELVs from January 2007. Before then, the three dominant vehicle shredding organisations in the UK are now working to secure their input of scrap metal from ELVs.
Along with Sims Group, fellow metal recycling giant European Metal Recycling and the UK Shredders group of independent recycling companies are all vying to attract last owners of vehicles to their approved networks.
EMR has set up its own network of approved ATFs, which now boasts more than 300 affiliated collection points (see letsrecycle.com story). UK Shredders, meanwhile, have set up a Cartakeback Ltd, which actually works the manufacturers of vehicles to steer last owners towards their affiliated collection points (see letsrecycle.com story) .
Survey
Launching its recycleyourcar.co.uk service today, Sims Group said it had carried out a survey showing that most car drivers – particularly younger drivers – have no idea about how to dispose of vehicles under the new system.
The survey found that 90% of car owners have never heard of the ELV Directive and of those that had, most were over 55 years old. On the plus side, the Sims Group survey found that two thirds of drivers thought it important to recycle old cars for the sake of the environment.
Recycleyourcar.co.uk's Derek Campbell said: “Despite the fact that the ELV Directive is now in place, ignorance of its existence and objectives is worrying. If we as a society are going to catch up with most of the rest of Europe in terms of maximising the efficiency of our vehicle recycling infrastructure, it is vital that the consumer is able to see the benefits to the environment of utilising Authorised Treatment Facilities.”
Plastics
As well as offering free disposal to last owners of vehicles, authorised treatment facilities will have to meet tough recycling targets for all vehicles taken in. There are still questions whether these Directive targets will be met by the UK on time.
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Although UK shredders have been achieving recycling rates of around 75% already, this is primarily through the recycling of metals from vehicles. To meet the Directive targets of recycling 80% by the end of 2006, a proportion of non-metallic materials will have to be recycled, which is more difficult.
The main groups of recycling companies have not yet announced whether the levels of recycling required are being achieved.
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