If you keep up to date with our blog, you’ll know we’re often mentioning European recycling regulations, standards and performance in general.  Nevertheless, we rarely go into any real detail outside our own UK recycling industry.

So to change this, we thought we’d share with you a few interesting facts and figures about the European scrap car industry. Or at least, we find them pretty interesting – hopefully there’s at least something in here to entertain! 

1. Britain’s Not the Best 

As it stands, the United Kingdom currently processes somewhere in the region of 1.7 million scrap vehicles every year. Which may be impressive, but certainly isn’t the best as far as the overall EU picture is concerned. Countries like Germany and Italy are doing a far better job when it comes to recycling in general. Nevertheless, there are some who predict (for their own unique reasons) that UK recycling in general will take a step in a positive direction, following Brexit. 

2. All or Nothing 

Over the years, recycling processes and associated technology have become exponentially more advanced than before. To such an extent that as far as the EU directives are concerned, at least 95% of every scrap car should now be recycled.  That’s a pretty astonishing quantity of materials from just a single car – everything from fabric to electronics to glass to plastic and so on. You can probably understand why we personally find it so tragic when even a single scrap car goes to waste. 

3. On the Up 

As you may already know, the UK’s total annual recycling rate declined last year for the first time since records began. Nevertheless, the EU continues to increase its own recycling targets year after year. According to some experts, one of the main reasons Britain is falling behind in terms of overall recycling is the way in which other countries make the process so much easier and more rewarding. After all, there’s no denying the fact that quite a lot of people in the UK find recycling in general more of a nuisance than it’s worth.

4. No Cash Payments 

In case you wondered, the outright ban on cash payments for scrap cars isn’t something that is unique to the United Kingdom. Instead, it is a blanket rule that applies across the EU as a whole. It was noted some time ago that the scrap car industry in general wasn’t particularly well-regulated or controlled. As there were no specific laws on cash payments, many dealers – thousands in fact – were effectively free to make up their own rules. Which they did. By introducing legislation where official documents must be kept in terms of all payments in both directions, it has become much easier to watch over the industry and ensure that it operates legitimately and ethically.

5. Super-Shredder

Last but not least, it might interest you to learn that the United Kingdom is home to the largest scrap metal shredder on the planet. Built approximately two decades ago for a price somewhere in the region of £10 million, this rather terrifying metal leviathan has the potential to shred 450 cars in one hour. And in doing so, it consumes such a huge amount of electricity that it has to be hard wired into the national grid! Suffice to say, the kind of machinery you don’t want to risk getting your finger caught in!

For more information or to discuss responsible car scrapping and recycling, get in touch with the Take My Scrap Car customer service team today.