The Directive
When a car reaches the end of its life it is important to know how to dispose of it safely and with minimum environmental impact. In October 2000, the End of Life Vehicles (ELV) Directive (2000/53/EC) came into force with an aim to reduce the amount of waste that is produced from vehicles when they are scrapped.
Each year in the UK around two million vehicles reach the end of their life. Under the Directive these vehicles are regarded as hazardous waste until they have been treated at a fully licensed Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF) registered with the Environment Agency. Owners are required to obtain a Certificate of Destruction to ensure this treatment has occurred.
Certificate of Destruction
At the ATF the vehicle will be ‘de-polluted’ before being recycled and the owner of the vehicle will be given a Certificate of Destruction (CoD). The CoD is proof that the vehicle has been taken off the road and destroyed, and it will be required by the DVLA to cancel road tax and vehicle registration.
The ‘de-pollution’ that occurs involves extracting petrol, diesel, brake fluid, engine oil, antifreeze, batteries, airbags, mercury-bearing components and catalysts.
Recycleyourcar.co.uk can help you find your nearest Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF), and provides further information about how and why care needs to be taken when disposing of a vehicle.
