End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV) Recycling

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End-of-Life Vehicles are automotive products that have reached the end of their useful life. Their components are now considered waste and can only be discarded or used for recycling. ELVs may also be referred to as “junk vehicles” or “salvage vehicles”.

There are two categories of ELVs:

Natural ELVs which have reached the end of their life technically or economically
Premature ELVs which are new cars resulting from accident write-offs

When end-of-life vehicles are not adequately managed, they can cause environmental problems, losing millions of tonnes of materials. It also prohibits hazardous substances when manufacturing new vehicles except in defined exemptions when there are no alternatives.

The recycling process for end-of-life vehicles typically involves several steps:

Vehicle preparation: This includes removing any hazardous materials such as batteries, fluids, and tires.
Shredding: The vehicle is shredded into small pieces using a giant shredder.
Separation: The shredded pieces are separated into different materials such as metals, plastics, and glass.
Recycling: The separated materials are then recycled into new products. For example, metals can be used to make new cars or appliances, plastics can be used to make new consumer goods, and glass can be used to make new bottles or jars.
Disposal: Any remaining materials that can't be recycled are disposed of in an environmentally-friendly manner.