Recycling of end-of-life vehicles.

The four stages of the recycling process.

• Recycling the vehicle begins with the controlled return of the vehicle at one of the authorised take-back facilities. Only these facilities can issue the Certificate of Destruction (C0D) which is required for the vehicle to be deregistered.

• During the pre-treatment, the battery is removed and all pyrotechnic devices, such as airbags, are neutralised. The vehicles are then treated using various de-pollution tools to remove the operating fluids and additional materials. These include siphoning off air-conditioning system refrigerant and brake fluid, draining radiator coolant, motor and transmission oil and extracting any remaining fuel using a special drilling machine with a draining device. The various fluids are kept separate and placed into containers according to type for processing or recycling by specialist waste management companies.

• During the dismantling stage, vehicle parts that can be reused or recycled are dismantled. Recycling specialists determine which of the vehicle's parts are suitable for recycling and which can be reused for their original function. Valuable materials such as precious metals used in the catalytic converter, are recycled in a separate material cycle.

• Once replacement parts and recoverable materials have been dismantled the remaining vehicle shell is transported to a shredding facility for further processing. The vehicle hulks are then reduced to palm-sized pieces and sorted. Materials, textiles, ferrous and non ferrous metals are further processed in specialised plants.