A new record for the recycling of cars and light vans in the UK has just been claimed in the fourth annual report by the Automotive Consortium On Recycling and Disposal (ACORD).
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ACORD is a cross-sector consortium comprising representatives of motor vehicle manufacturers, the vehicle dismantling and shredding industries, and the plastic and rubber manufacturing industries. ACORD is also supported by component suppliers, the steel and glass industries, the insurance industry and UK government departments.
The results from 2000 show a growing number of vehicles reaching their end of life and being disposed of and, for the first time, less than 20 percent of the material ended up as landfill. This encouraging progress has been achieved by improvements throughout the treatment process, making motor vehicles one of the most recyclable of consumer products.
Vehicle manufacturers have developed dismantling information and parts marking for most of the 2,017,137 vehicles scrapped. They are also active into the research and development of new recycling technologies. The plastics industry has developed specifications for grading recycled plastics to encourage its selection for re-use, and the shredding and dismantling sectors have made efficiency improvements in recovery rates over the previous year.
“The biggest obstacle to progress in our drive for even higher levels of recyclability is the uncertainty about the implementation of the End of Life Vehicles Directive,” said SMMT chief executive Christopher Macgowan.
“The government needs to establish an implementation strategy that maximises the existing treatment infrastructure, minimises costs and encourages last owners to dispose of their vehicles in a responsible manner.”
