The figures for 1999 show that some 1.8 million vehicles were recycled which consists of 1.6 million cars and 200,000 vans. With an average weight of 1,030 kg, there was 1,854,000 tonnes of material to be recycled or disposed of.
The breakdown of what happened to the cars and vans shows that about 193,000 tonnes were reused. About 1.1 million tonnes of ferrous metal was recycled while almost 100,000 tonnes of non-ferrous was reclaimed.
Other materials recycled included 3,000 tonnes of tyres, 43,000 tonnes of fluids, 9,000 tonnes of batteries, 1,000 tonnes of plastics and 2,500 tonnes of glass. A total of 23% of material was landfilled.
The quality of the data is not as good as for previous years because of changes in the way cars are recorded as being off the road. Nevertheless, the SMMT says: “On a very positive note, we are pleased to report that further refinement of data by the British Metals Federation has resulted in improved performance for the metal recycling sector. This has enabled us to show a net increase in the tonnage recycled, and raises the overall recovery percentage from 74% to 77%.”
BMF executive director Rick Wilcox said he was pleased with the figures which are helped by the development of advanced techniques by the operators of shredders and heavy media separation plants. “We are still working hard on ways to recover more and there are a number of developments in the pipeline.”
Copies of the report are available from the ACORD Secretary, David Hulse, SMMT, Forbes House, Halkin Street, London SW1X 7DS, tel: 020 7235 7000, fax: 020 7235 7112, email:
End-of-life vehicles recycling rate jumps to 77% for 1999
The recycling rate for end-of-life vehicles rose in 1999 to 77%, up from 74% in 1998, according to provisional figures just released by the Society of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers and Traders.
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