What happens to a car at the scrapyard?

December 14, 2020

If you’re reading this article, you probably have a junk car taking up space on your property for years. You’ve decided to take it to the scrapyard, but you have no idea how to scrap it. Thanks to movies, many people assume that scrapping is about a car getting crushed by a giant machine and turned into a metal cube, but that is not entirely correct. While it’s true that many cars eventually get crushed, they don’t go straight into a car crusher the second you’ve gone.

Here are the various stages that your car undergoes after it is sent to a scrapyard.

Arrival and transferring: Once your car has been sent to a scrap yard, it will be inspected to determine whether it can be stripped of its parts to be resold. If the parts are in good condition, they will be repaired and sold, but if profits can’t be made, the scrapyard will take the car for dismantling and recycling. Remember that your car can only be scrapped at a scrapyard which has registered for EASR in Ontario. That’s the license the Ministry of Environment of Ontario issues to automotive scrap yards.

De-pollution: Cars contain a lot of hazardous materials that need to be removed and safely disposed of. If these pollutants are not removed, they can enter the water supply and the food chain, causing a huge amount of problems to nature, wildlife, and health. Here are some materials about:

• Battery: This is usually the first part to be detached and broken into its various components (lead, plastic, etc.) to be recycled most effectively or resold as a Quality Used Battery for customers. Find out why used batteries are a cost effective purchase.
• Tires: Next, the tires will be removed and recycled, although only a certain amount can be stored on-site at any one time. This is because large numbers of tires can burn for days at very high temperatures if they catch fire.
• Fluids: All oils, lubricants, fuel, coolants, refrigerants, anti-freeze fluids, and wash fluids will be removed and stored in sealed tanks for recycling.
• Hazardous metals: Lead and mercury are toxic materials that are hazardous to the environment. They are removed and disposed of safely.
• Glass and plastic: Your car is 50 percent plastic and can be reused to make other items. Window glass can be removed and recycled too.
• Everything else: Other items that are removed include airbags, wheels and lead balance weights, seat belts and pre-tensioner, catalytic converter, etc. 

Crushing and shredding: Once the vehicle has been stripped, it is flattened by a giant press to make it easier to handle, and from there, it goes into the shredder. If the chunk were to be pressed into a cube, it would be roughly the size of a large microwave oven or a small dishwasher. And from there, the metal will be used to manufacture new vehicles and other goods.

If your car has given you nothing but grief, or if it’s been in an accident and its parts are too damaged to be repaired, scrapping your car can be a good option. Now that you know what happens to cars at the scrapyard and feel better about it, consider scrapping your old car with Auto Heaven Scrap Yard.