Car manufacturers have established new national networks of existing facilities that will accept their own brands, when those vehicles reach the end of their lives.
The UK currently scraps around two million cars and vans each year and these new ‘producer responsibility’ regulations are good news for both the environment and car owners, who will no longer need to pay to dispose of their vehicles.
Science and innovation minister, Malcolm Wicks, said:
‘As 2007 gets under way, it is the perfect time to look at ways we can all do our bit to help the environment. There is already an 85 per cent 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 the vast majority of vehicles on the UK’s roads have made their network arrangements with one of two service providers.
For 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 www.autogreen.org or telephone 0800 5422002.
And for Alfa Romeo, Alpine, Aston Martin, Audi, Austin, Bentley, Bugatti, Citroën, 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 www.cartakeback.com or telephone 0845 257 3233.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders strongly supports the approach the Government has taken to implement the End of Life Vehicles Directive. Its 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.
The full press release issued by the Department for Trade and Industry can be downloaded below.
