Auto Recycling
Auto recycling is the ultimate environmental choice. No other product on earth is recycled more than an automobile. Not only does it keep a flood of dangerous toxins from being released into our ground and water, it prevents unnecessary use of valuable landfill. And by reducing the need for new parts to be manufactured, you'll be preserving scarce natural resources and cutting down on the resulting pollution.
It may not seem like a monumental choice to re-use good quality parts from another vehicle, but the resulting savings in energy, raw materials and pollution is astronomical.
By using Green Parts, you'll be helping to sustain a modern global recycling industry that reclaims over 12 million vehicles across North America annually.
Forget the old "junk yard dog" image of the auto recycler. Using modern business practices and strict environmental controls, today's recyclers provide low cost, high quality used auto parts in a way that benefits the consumer, the industry and the earth. In doing so, they help to reduce insurance rates, vehicle repair bills and staggering amounts of pollution.
Recyclers purchase end-of-life and vehicles from accidents, and ensure that all vehicles are retired in an environmentally sound manner. They spend significant resources to build and maintain facilities specially designed to capture and store harmful materials, keeping them from contaminating soil and groundwater. Today more than ever, auto recycling is paying economic and environmental dividends around the globe.
Thunder Bay Auto Parts is a proud member of the Ontario Automotive Recyclers Association (OARA). OARA has been the voice of the auto recycling industry in Ontario since 1992 and has kept Auto Recyclers informed and involved with input and information into current industry trends and government legislative initiatives that affect auto recyclers.
The Recycling Process
The modern auto recycling process is a model of environmental responsibility. Each vehicle goes through a methodical process designed to maximize the amount of material that can be reclaimed and to minimize the environmental impact.
Oil, gas and operating fluids pose a significant risk to the environment. Trained technicians carefully drain all the fluids and store them for reuse or recycling. Special equipment and methods are used in order to prevent any groundwater contamination. An average of 40 liters of fluids are removed from each vehicle and are used, re-used or responsibly disposed of.
Gas tanks, batteries and tires are all removed and are recycled, reused or disposed of appropriately.
Each vehicle is inspected to determine which parts are appropriate for re-use. The VIN number and mileage of vehicle, along with the make, model and year are recorded in order to provide accurate inventory data.
The vehicle is then sent to the dismantling area where parts are removed, inspected and readied for resale. Each part is tagged, coded and entered into a computerized inventory system before it is properly stored.
The unusable portion of the vehicle is then crushed and sent to be shredded into fist-sized pieces for recovery. The valuable ferrous and non-ferrous metals are then separated and reused to make new cars and other products you buy? and the cycle starts again.