At Take My Scrap Car, we’re often quizzed on the mechanics and logistics of the car scrapping and recycling process. We make it quick and easy to scrap all types of vehicles, but what actually happens when you send your car away for recycling?

More importantly, why is car scrapping and recycling such a big deal these days?

Safety and Environmental Protection

The importance of car scrapping and recycling lies in two things – safety and environmental protection.

On the safety side of things, there comes a time in the life of every car where it simply cannot be used safely on public roads anymore. At which time, it needs to be taken out of service for the benefit of everyone. There are far too many rundown and dangerous cars on UK roads, which pose a direct threat to the safety and welfare of all other road users. 

The environmental benefits of responsible recycling are pretty obvious. Along with removing polluting and dangerous cars from the roads, recycling ensures as much as possible is put back into the system. Up to 95% of the materials in a car can be recycled or reused – to allow any of this to go to waste would be irresponsible. 

How is a Car Recycled?

All car scrapping and recycling services have their own unique policies. However, the basics of the car scrapping and recycling process remain relatively similar from one company to the next. There are four primary stages, as outlined below:

Collection

The vehicle is collected from its current location and transported to the recycling facility. With Take My Scrap Car, this is provided 100% free of charge for all collections across the entire county. 

Depollution

This refers to the process of ensuring all potentially toxic fluids and components are disposed of responsibly. Even at this stage, many of the fluids recovered from the vehicle are recycled or put back into use right away. 

Dismantlement

After which, the vehicle needs to be carefully dismantled from top to bottom and inside out. The raw materials are separated and various components and broken down to their individual parts for recycling. This is one of the most time-consuming parts of the process, which must be handled with care to ensure nothing goes to waste. 

Destruction/Recycling 

The final stage of the process is the destruction and recycling of the car and its component materials. Some cars are crushed into cubes before being recycled, while others are put through an industrial-sized shredder. Metallic materials are melted down to create new materials, while other components are processed in different ways to be reused. 

Preparing Your Car for Recycling 

If you’re planning on scrapping a car, we’ve a few tips to share before sending it to the recycling plant. 

First of all, it’s worth thinking whether there’s anything you could remove and sell. If you car has a £300 stereo system and a set of gorgeous alloy wheels, you could probably get a good price for them on eBay. Feel free to take out anything you want to sell, rather than letting it go to waste. 

Shopping around for a good price for your scrap car is important, but Take My Scrap Car guarantees an unbeatable deal. You’ll also want to factor collection and transportation costs into the equation – none of which apply with TMSC. 

Last up, be sure to inform the DVLA of your car’s destruction to avoid being slapped with a fine. We’ll help you take care of the admin side of things as part of our all-round service package – all 100% free of charge, 

Call Take My Scrap Car anytime for more information.