The End of Life Vehicle (Producer Responsibility) Regulations are implemented from 1 January. The regulations give car owners an entitlement to have their old (End of Life Vehicles or ELVs) vehicles taken off them free of charge known as "free take back".
Car manufacturers have established national networks of treatment facilities that will accept their own brands of vehicle, when those vehicles reach the end of their lives.
Around two million cars and vans are scrapped each year and these new regulations will benefit both the environment and car owners, who will no longer need to pay to dispose of their vehicles.
Malcomb Wicks, Science and Innovation Minister, DTI
Science and Innovation Minister, Malcolm Wicks said:
'As 2007 gets underway, it is the perfect time to look at ways we can all do our bit to help the environment. There is already an 85% target in place to recover scrap cars and the free take back will help us achieve it.
'With such an extensive network of facilities in place to receive scrap cars, there is now an increased incentive for cars to be treated responsibly. This is an absolutely positive development for the environment and car owners.'
Manufacturers of most vehicles in the UK's have made their take-back arrangements with one of two service providers:
Autogreen
BMW, Daihatsu, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Daewoo, Dodge, Ferrari, Honda, Isuzu, Jeep, Maserati, Maybach, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Mitsubishi Canter, Porsche, Saab, SMART, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota/Lexus and Vauxhall go to http://www.autogreen.org
Cartakeback
Alfa Romeo, Alpine, Aston Martin, Audi, Austin, Bentley, Bugatti, Citroen, Dacia, DAF, Datsun, Dodge, Fiat, Ford, Hillman, Humber, Hyundai, Iveco, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Lancia, Land Rover, LDV, Leyland, Leyland DAF, Lotus, Matra, Mazda, MG, MG X-Power, Mitsubishi, Morris, Nissan, Perodua, Peugeot, Proton, Renault, Renault Trucks, Riley, Rover, Seat, Simca, Singer, Skoda, Sunbeam, Talbot, Tata, Tatra, Triumph, Volkswagen, Volkswagen Commercial, Volvo and Wolseley go to http://www.cartakeback.com
Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders strongly supports the approach the Government has taken to implement the End of Life Vehicles Directive.
Chief Executive, Christopher Macgowan said:
'The motor industry has worked hard with the Government and other parties to get these ''free take-back'' requirements into place. We are confident that we are now in a position to offer an excellent service for final owners of vehicles when they wish to dispose of them. This is a further example of the industry taking professional responsibility for reducing the environmental impact of our products.'
A Certificate of Destruction will be issued to owners when facilities receive a vehicle for treatment. This certificate will show that the vehicle will be treated appropriately, and will enable deregistration of the vehicle from the DVLA database.
Background
1. The End of Life Vehicles (Producer Responsibility) Regulations were laid in Parliament on 9th February 2005. They completed the UK's implementation of The End of Life Vehicles (ELV) Directive (2000/53/EC) http://www.dti.gov.uk/innovation/sustainability/elv/page30591.html
2. The Directive introduced higher environmental standards for the treatment and dismantling of vehicles when they are scrapped. In particular it:
- requires Member States to ensure that ELVs can only be scrapped ('treated') by Authorised Treatment Facilities (ATFs), which have been permitted by the appropriate environmental regulator, and who must meet tightened environmental treatment standards;
- requires ATFs to issue a Certificate of Destruction (CoD) to last owners on acceptance of the vehicle for disposal, which enables the vehicle to be deregistered from the DVLA database;
- states that last-owners must be able to dispose of their vehicles free of charge from January 2007, even if the vehicle has no value when scrapped;
- requires producers (vehicle manufacturers or importers) to meet 'all or a significant part' of the costs of free take-back from January 2007;
- sets rising reuse, recycling and recovery targets (85% recovery target covering 2006); and
- restricts the use of heavy metals (lead, cadmium, mercury and hexavalent chromium) in new vehicles.
3. The regulations apply to cars and goods vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes.
4. For vehicles not produced by any of the above manufacturers, contact the relevant manufacturer or official importer directly to find out details of their arrangements to provide the same service.
5. Owners who take their vehicle to the designated facilities can be assured of free take-back at a minimum provided the vehicle is largely complete, including engine/gearbox, bodywork, wheels and catalytic converter (where fitted from new) and additional waste has not been added.
6. Depending on scrap metal prices, last owners may be offered a fee on delivery of their vehicle. However, this is not an entitlement under the regulations and is subject to individual negotiation with the accepting treatment facility.
7. If a vehicle is more than 30 miles from the nearest facility in the manufacturer's network, it will be eligible for collection free of charge. Further details are available through the relevant Service Provider or directly from the manufacturer.