Scrapping a car legally is prime motivator for more than half of Irish motorists

A recent Red C poll conducted for ELVES, the compliance scheme for End-of-Life Vehicles in Ireland (www.elves.ie) has revealed that the factor most important to a majority of motorists when scrapping a car, is making sure they have legally ended their responsibility for their old car, with 56% of motorists choosing this over taking the highest price offered.

30% of people (polled) have scrapped a car, 19% within the last 10 years. 56% of these were male and 44% were female. With ending responsibility for their old car the key driver, people will seek out Authorised Treatment Facilities that can issue the Certificate of Destruction to complete this step. An Authorised Treatment Facility’s capability to issue a CoD is becoming more important than just the scrap price offered. 

When a car is scrapped through an Authorised Treatment Facility, the owner receives a Certificate of Destruction (CoD), which means that the owner has officially relinquished responsibility for the car. If scrapped at an illegal site, the vehicle owner is still responsible if it subsequently turns up somewhere that it should not.  Importantly, having a valid CoD also allows the driver to apply for any motor tax refund that they may be entitled to.    

So how does one scrap a vehicle responsibly? Take your old car or small van to an Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF), which is also known as a permitted scrapyard. ATFs are facilities with a Waste Permit issued by their local authority that allows them to accept cars for recycling. There is a list of these sites on www.elves.ie   As long as a car is complete and contains no rubbish, depositing it at an ATF for recycling is free of charge.  If the car is not driveable then many ATFs offer to collect, although fees may apply for this service.  All usable materials in the car will either be reused or recycled.

According to Elena Wrelton, Environmental Compliance Manager at ELVES, “That more than half of people now recognise the importance of ending their responsibility properly when scrapping their vehicle is a huge step forward. This is a key message for us, as getting a Certificate of Destruction also means that the car has been deposited at an Authorised Treatment Facility for recycling: the only place that can issue CoDs. Ensuring products are reused or properly recycled at the end of their lives underpins our transition to a circular economy and supports action on climate change. As recycling facilities have improved, reusing and recycling has become more accessible for people and the public has become more willing to adopt a ‘waste not, want not’ attitude for the environment and the planet”. 

Log onto www.elves.ie/how-to-recycle to find and contact a local recycler in your area.

This survey was carried out by Red C Research on behalf of ELVES in 2021.

ENDS

NOTES

56% of motorists surveyed said ending their legal responsibility for the vehicle would be the most important factor when choosing where to scrap their car or small van.

32% of motorists surveyed said scrap price offered would be the most important factor when choosing where to scrap their car

12% of motorists surveyed were undecided as to would be the most important factor for them.