Here at Charity Car, we’re well aware that donating your old vehicle, whether it’s ready for scrap or has a little life left in it, is a huge decision.
The charity you select from our Official Charity Car Partners is likely to be a cause close to your heart, and the desire to help them will be the leading motivation for you deciding to donate your wheels. However, when you donate an old car, not only are you helping that good cause, you’re also doing the right thing for the environment. Here’s why you should feel so good about your decision…
We all know this mantra, and with the environment in crisis most households have had the wake-up call that a more sustainable way of living is essential for daily life. However, while most of us are good at recycling household waste, it’s the larger items that can have a huge impact on the environment. If your old car has come to the end of its life and you’ve made the decision to have it handled by a responsible car recycling centre you’re helping in more ways than you can probably imagine!
Cars are primarily manufactured from steel, either from recycled metal or mining. The latter process consumes huge amounts of energy, far more than recycling. Steel smelting uses fossil fuels and creates massive amounts of carbon emissions as an unfortunate by-product.
According to Global Car Recycling Day: “Compared to manufacturing steel from raw materials, every tonne of recycled steel saves 1.5 tonnes of iron ore, 70% of energy, 40% of water consumption. It also avoids 75% of CO2 emissions and 76% of water pollution.”
Recycling your car reduces the need for an energy-guzzling process. Plus, your old lifeless banger could one day be made into a brand-spanking new Tesla!
Steel smelting is dangerous for wildlife. The method causes erosion of habitats and leaks pollutants into the land, damaging plants, soil and animals – yet another reason to minimise steel mining.
Used cars also contain toxic substances such as fuel, oils, tyres and batteries. If a vehicle isn’t disposed of responsibly or it’s left to deteriorate, hazardous liquids can leak, causing environmental damage and endangering local wildlife and plants. Recycling at an authorised centre avoids this harm and protects our precious wildlife and habitats.
Landfills are full of items that could have been recycled but weren’t. The waste contains toxins that leach out, polluting our soil and groundwater. Not only this, but packed landfill sites mean organic materials are compacted, removing oxygen and causing them to produce methane when they break down – a greenhouse gas that’s impacting our environment.
Each recycled car, means one less car in a landfill.
Well this question is easy! Charity Car is run by the UK’s largest car recycling network – CarTakeBack – experts in responsible car recycling! So when your old car donation is collected, you can be sure that it will be re-used or recycled to ensure sustainability.
Our recycling centres use the latest methods to de-pollute cars – safely removing all harmful materials from your car, before reusing and recycling as much of it as possible.
Every recycling centre we use across the UK is an Authorised Treatment Facility, registered with the local Environment Agency and each one follows all legal regulations. 95% of every vehicle is recycled, in line with EU laws.
If you are ready to donate your old car and do this doubly good-deed, then do take a look at our Official Charity Car Partners and see which wonderful cause you’d like to support while protecting the environment!
