Are you looking to get cash for cars? Once your car starts acting up, breaking down, and generally performing at less than capacity, many people start to look forward to a new car — one that’ll take them thousands of miles without complaint and boast the latest in interiors technology and gas mileage. But most don’t think much about what exactly happens to their old vehicle when they say “I’m ready to junk my car.”
Since cars contain many hazardous materials and are often thought of as bad for the environment, many people are surprised to learn that recycling a car is an excellent and eco-friendly way to dispose of it after it has lived out its useful life. Every year, more than 14 million tons of recycled steel is derived from junk cars — 25% of a car’s body, on average, is made from the stuff! Exchanging old cars for cash is a lot better for the world in the long run than most people would expect.
Even though there is a lot of potential for recycling the body of a car, that doesn’t mean that it is easy. First, a car must be stripped of its tires, battery, and catalytic converter. Depending on the age and quality of these parts, they can sometimes be resold or broken down further.
Fluids and hazardous materials, like engine coolant, oil, transmission fluid, gasoline and mercury and sodium azide are drained and removed from the vehicle. Once the vehicle is completely stripped, the shell is crushed flat or cubed. From there it is transported back to an industrial shredder or mill, and any additional glass, rubber, or plastics are filtered out of the mix. The pure metal can then be sold to be melted down and reused.
By recycling steel from old junk cars, a lot of energy and natural resources are saved — including coal, iron ore, limestone, and water. As the world makes the transition to vehicles that conserve more gasoline, are hybrid, or run completely on electricity, it is important to properly dispose of and reuse as much as we can of the traditional cars of the past.
So, in the end, the decision to get cash for junk cars is actually beneficial to the environment, especially compared to the environmental price of old, energy-inefficient cars continuing to run.
