How Car Scrapping Contributes to Resource Conservation

1. How Car Scrapping Contributes to Resource Conservation Introduc?on Every year, thousands of old vehicles stop running on the roads in Canada. Some break down beyond repair, others become too costly to maintain. Instead of le?ng these cars rust in your backyard or take up valuable garage space, many people now choose to scrap them. But car scrapping isn’t just about clearing space or ge?ng cash for junk. It plays a big role in saving the Earth’s natural resources. When you scrap your old car correctly, you help reduce mining, energy consump?on, and pollu?on. You give your old car parts a second life and prevent harmful fluids from contamina?ng soil and water. In this blog, you will learn how car scrapping helps protect valuable resources like metal, oil, plas?c, and energy. You will also see how proper recycling methods reduce waste, support local jobs, and make auto recycling a smarter choice for both you and the planet. pg. 1

2. Therefore, picking a licensed car scrapyard ensures that your vehicle is handled correctly, from start to finish. In this post, we will explain why going with a licensed yard is the best choice and how it helps you avoid legal trouble, protects the planet, and gives you peace of mind. What Happens During Car Scrapping? When you scrap your car, it goes through a series of steps. First, you contact your nearby car scrapyard. They usually tow the car away free of charge. Then, professional auto wreckers remove all reusable parts, such as ?res, ba?eries, and electronics. Next, they safely drain all fluids like oil, transmission fluid, and coolant to prevent them from leaking into the ground. A?er that, the metal frame is crushed and sent to a facility where it’s shredded. The shredded material is sorted using magnets and other tools to separate steel, aluminium, and other metals. Each type of metal then goes into the recycling stream to be melted down and reused. This process ensures that every usable component is recovered. Nothing goes to waste unless it’s completely unusable. Reducing the Need for Raw Material Mining Your car contains valuable metals like steel, aluminum, copper, and even trace amounts of rare metals in electronic parts. When you scrap a car, recyclers remove these materials and send them pg. 2

3. to metal processors. The metals are cleaned, melted down, and reused in new vehicles or other products like construc?on beams, appliances, and tools. This process cuts down the need to mine new raw materials. Mining takes up land, burns fuel, and leaves behind harmful waste. Producing steel from recycled scrap uses about 74% less energy than making it from iron ore. It also cuts water use and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. So, every ton of metal recycled from old cars saves a large amount of natural resources and energy. In Canada, the auto recycling industry handles over a million vehicles every year. That’s millions of tons of metal saved from landfills and unnecessary mining Automo?ve Fluids Get Collected and Reused or Treated Your old car holds several fluids that can harm the environment if le? to leak. These include motor oil, transmission fluid, coolant, brake fluid, and gasoline. When you send your car to a licensed scrap yard, Trained staff safely remove these fluids before the vehicle is crushed or shredded. Some of these fluids can be cleaned and reused, like motor oil and coolant. Others go through proper treatment before safe disposal. By handling fluids this way, recyclers stop harmful chemicals from entering the ground, nearby water systems, or city drains. In Ontario, auto recyclers follow the rules set by the Canadian Auto Recyclers Environmental Code (CAREC). Greenway Auto Recycling follows this code to make sure all fluids are removed and managed properly. This helps protect local soil and water systems, including rivers and underground aquifers. Tire and Ba?ery Recycling Prevents Waste and Fire Hazards Old ?res and car ba?eries can become hazardous waste when dumped in landfills. Tires take hundreds of years to break down and release chemicals as they age. Piles of old ?res can catch fire and burn for days, sending toxic smoke into the air. Ba?eries, on the other hand, hold lead and acid that can leak into the soil or water and harm plants and animals. When you scrap a vehicle at a proper recycling facility, workers remove the ?res and ba?eries first. Tires get sent to rubber recycling plants where they are turned into playground surfaces, pg. 3

4. road materials, or fuel for industrial use. Ba?eries go to licensed centers where the lead, plas?c, and acid get separated and reused. Canada enforces strict regula?ons on ?re and ba?ery recycling, and Greenway works with cer?fied partners to make sure nothing harmful is le? behind Recovering Valuable Auto Parts Scrapped cars s?ll have parts that can be used again. Instead of building new parts from scratch, auto recyclers recover working components like engines, transmissions, alternators, and doors. These parts are then sold at lower prices to car owners and repair shops. This recovery process helps extend the life of other vehicles. It also supports the second-hand car parts industry, which helps reduce waste and keeps cars running longer. You benefit from affordable parts, while the environment benefits from reduced manufacturing and waste. In the Greater Toronto Area, many people rely on used auto parts to save money on car repairs. Greenway Auto Recycling helps meet that demand by offering high-quality recycled parts that pg. 4

5. come from properly scrapped vehicles. So, when you scrap your car, you are also helping someone else keep their vehicle on the road. Car Scrapping Helps Manage Plas?c Waste in Vehicles Cars today use a lot more plas?c than in the past. You will find it in bumpers, dashboards, lights, trims, and seats. While metal parts are easy to recycle, plas?c takes more work. But skilled auto recyclers are ge?ng be?er at separa?ng and processing plas?c from scrap cars. This plas?c gets sorted and some?mes reused in making new car interiors or outdoor tools. While not all automo?ve plas?c is recyclable, removing it prevents incinera?on or landfill buildup. That means less pollu?on in your area and fewer plas?c par?cles ending up in water bodies or the air. More car makers now work with recyclers to improve plas?c recovery. Over ?me, this collabora?on will improve recycling rates and reduce dependence on oil-based plas?cs. Car Recycling Saves Energy Across the Whole Chain Each step of a car’s life—from mining and building to driving and dumping—uses energy. Recycling a vehicle helps reduce energy consump?on at nearly every stage of the vehicle’s lifecycle. No need to mine and process new metal No need to make parts that s?ll work Less oil is used in making plas?c Fewer shipments of new materials Lower energy use at factories The energy savings from recycling a single vehicle can power a Canadian home for months. When thousands of cars get recycled every year, the saved energy adds up fast. Car scrapping is a smart move—not just for conserving resources but also for reducing the carbon footprint of manufacturing and transporta?on. Conclusion Conclusion Car scrapping isn’t just a way to remove an old vehicle, it’s an important step in protec?ng the planet. You save energy, reduce pollu?on, lower landfill waste, and protect natural resources. In pg. 5

6. a country like Canada, where environmental awareness is growing, every scrapped car makes a difference. Greenway Auto Recycling offers a trusted, eco-conscious solu?on for people living across the GTA. Whether your car is running or not, it s?ll holds value—not just in dollars, but in its poten?al to be reused, recycled, and repurposed. If you have an old vehicle si?ng around, now is the ?me to act. You’re not just helping yourself— you’re contribu?ng to a cleaner, greener Canada. Call (416) 783-9026 and turn your scrap car into something that benefits everyone. Source: conserva?on/ h?ps://greenwayautorecycling.com/how-car-scrapping-contributes-to-resource- pg. 6