Once you hand over your car for scrappage, it becomes an ELV – SHANE O'DONOGHUEfollows the progress of an 'end-of-life' car to its bitter end
WHILE THE 1995 national scrappage scheme undoubtedly kick-started new car sales, the procedure for scrapping the traded in cars and the recordkeeping there of was far from watertight.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that plenty of the vehicles given up by owners for scrap found their way back onto the roads. So will the same happen this time around, effectively invalidating the environmental argument for removing older, polluting vehicles from our roads?
An end-of-life vehicle (ELV) is a car or van that has come to the end of its life. ELV legislation came into force in January 2007 in Ireland, implementing an EU Directive controlling the collection and disposal of ELVs. Strict rules govern this directive with regards to recording all materials reused, recycled and disposed of during the process, while the registered owner of the ELV receives a certificate of destruction once this process is complete.
In relation to the new scrappage scheme, car dealers will only receive the €1,500 Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) rebate on production of this certificate, which must be issued by one of the country’s authorised treatment facilities (ATF).
Thornton’s Recycling operates one of the busiest ATFs in Ireland, processing about 1,800 vehicles per year at its Dublin premises. On arrival, it’s clear that the term “ATF” is not just a posh way of saying “scrapyard”.
All work is carried out inside a regular factory unit and the only external clue to the operation is a neat pile of cars, each crushed into a rectangular block.
We’re just in time to watch a silver 1995 Toyota Starlet go through the process. It was an insurance write-off – although is still a runner and so should be quite representative of cars traded-in on the scrappage scheme. Jack, one of Thornton’s workers, nonchalantly drives the forks of his forklift in through the rear window of the Starlet to pick it up and place it onto one of the two work ramps.
After this less-than-ceremonious start, the process becomes more clinical, with the very first task being the removal of the car battery. After that, it’s a quick job to siphon out the various under-bonnet fluids such as those used for the brake system, power steering, air conditioning and even coolant from the radiator.
Next, the wheels are removed and put aside while the car is raised up and oil drained from the sump. To remove the fuel, a custom-made device drills through the lowest part of the tank and forms a seal, while allowing the fuel to be collected safely. Like all of the other fluids, this is separated into its own storage tank and is disposed of in the appropriate manner. Thornton’s is audited twice a year to ensure that it is conforming to the legislation, so it must keep strict records on weights and volumes disposed of.
While the last dregs of fluid are draining from the car, the tyres are taken off the rims. If the wheels are made of steel they get put in the car for crushing, but alloys are kept separate, as different prices are paid for the metals as scrap.
While the ATF has to pay for the removal of the waste tyres and fluids, its sole income is from the sale of scrap metal, and prices vary according to demand. It’s not unusual for the steel to make its way to foundries in the UK (or further afield), while the rubber is usually used in road-making materials. The car is now in the “de-polluted” state and ready for crushing. That’s despite all the glass, plastic and rubber still being attached.
The EU has already proposed that glass and major plastic components – along with the catalytic convertor – be removed and recycled, though has stopped short of enforcing this as part of the legislation. The reason for that is the significant extra cost it will incur. Companies like Thornton’s could not continue to operate efficiently if they were forced to spend more time on each car without additional payment. This will have to come from the carmakers, who the EU acknowledges are currently under enough financial strain.
Alan Elliott, ELV manager at Thornton’s, has not yet had a chance to assess how many extra cars will be scrapped because of the new scrappage scheme. The prolonged wintry weather has delayed many buyers from picking up their new vehicles, though there certainly are cars awaiting collection for scrapping. On average, Thornton’s has a manageable six-car backlog, but on the day we visited there was a list of 26 and that will no doubt rise once the snow and ice melt away.
I admire a green 1998 BMW 7 Series parked up, assuming that it’s the boss’s, but it turns out to be one of the first cars traded in on the new scrappage scheme. It’s in great condition, but its large petrol engine and high road tax contributed to it being worth less than the €1,500 its owner was offered by the Government to trade it in for a cleaner new car. A Polish worker points out that the BMW would be worth €6,000 in Poland, but the ELV legislation makes it impossible to export the car.
We witness the final death knell for the Starlet as it is placed into the crusher, which effortlessly compacts the car into a box shape about half its previous size. It’s piled up with the others awaiting a new life, perhaps as a girder or as a bridge. You can be full sure it won’t be back on the road any time soon.
