New ‘take back’ scheme to recycle UK vehicles

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) is partnering with recycling company Autogreen to ensure that all unclaimed cars and vans can be disposed of and recycled responsibly – with no cost to the consumer.

The British automotive industry has committed to helping thousands of consumers recycle their old vehicles with a free take-back service, designed to help owners whose brand may no longer sell in the UK.

Under the End of Life Vehicles Directive, when cars and vans up to 3.5-tonnes reach the end of their lives, they must be disposed of in an environmentally responsible way. However, while manufacturers provide this service free of charge, some motorists can face difficulties if the brand is no longer trading and has no parent company. When this happens, the car or van becomes what is known as an ‘orphan vehicle’.

The SMMT scheme will be of value to owners of orphan vehicles in remote areas of the country who can find it difficult to get to a recycling point. Autogreen has committed to collect vehicles nationally, to make sure that all vehicles can be easily disposed of in a safe, environmentally friendly way for free.

According to the SMMT, cars are already one of the most efficiently recycled consumer products, with manufacturers now tasked with recycling and recovering at least 95% of old vehicles. 

Vehicle manufacturing plants are also following this trend, with less than 2 per cent of waste going to landfill in 2014, down from around a quarter a decade previously and representing a 90 per cent reduction since 2000. 

In the same period, energy and water usage have been cut by 48.1 per cent and 43.6 per cent respectively, while ‘well-to-wheel’ CO₂ emissions are down by a significant 40.2 per cent per vehicle produced.

SMMT says the new take-back system will help ensure that the estimated 700,000 orphan vehicles still on British roads have a route to responsible disposal.