From Guest Blogger Emily: The Rewards of Car Recycling

Over the recent years governments and environment conserving agencies have tried to emphasize the need to recycle used material. The automobile industry has not been left behind as recycle of vehicles and vehicle parts has far reaching environmental benefits. Recycled material if in good condition is of good quality and comes at a lower cost.

Immediate Environmental Benefits

For every new vehicle to be manufactured anywhere around the world there is a need for a steel frame. Steel is iron with its constituents adjusted to give it structural strength and resistance to corrosion. A lot of iron ore would be saved for future use if the steel parts were recycled. Coal which is an energy source in iron refinery would also be preserved as a conserved energy source. As a matter of fact, recycling aluminum wheels alone would save the world over a billion energy kilowatt hours than manufacturing new ones, according to University of Colorado.

The environmental protection agency has found out that recycling of vehicle parts saves about 26% of the total energy used in the automobile industry. Recycling would also save other liquids which are used to treat vehicle parts. Most of these liquid when disposed to the ground, may seep into the groundwater. This could have devastating effects.

Greenhouse Gases

It costs less energy to melt and re-mold an old piece of steel than to mine and refine iron ore then mold a new piece of steel from it. According to studies by the National Environmental Agency, coal-burning plants and coal refineries are among the biggest contributors of greenhouse gases to the environment.

Greenhouse gases have greatly harmed our environment and this is evident in the expansion of deserts globally and the melting of icebergs into the Arctic and the Antarctic Oceans. If its production is not regulated, greenhouse gasses may lead to rising of oceans. This could result in floods and hurricanes at the coasts.

Reusing Parts

Reusing is just as good as recycling. This is because although you are not using the car parts to manufacture new cars, you at least prevent them from harming the environment by using them to manufacture something else. In addition to putting some money into your pocket, selling wrecked or used cars to salvage yards also enhances environmental protection for posterity.

Long-term Environmental Benefits

Insignificant as it may be, recycling a used or wrecked car has far reaching benefits, more even than saving the environment of greenhouse gases. People are known to learn from one another. By recycling one car, you are seen by many people, some of whom would follow suit. These people will encourage more and more people to recycle vehicle parts and soon car recycling would be a global norm.

Car recycling has many advantages which include earning some money by the seller, preventing the environment from greenhouse gases, and reducing the amount of fuel consumed. It would also provide reasons for people to apply for driving licences as the cost of buying used cars would reduce. Most importantly, when cars are recycled, more and more people learn about the importance of recycling and car recycling would become a habit with time. It is unmistakably the greatest way to protect our environment today, and even in future.