Auto shredder residue
The non-metal leftovers from shredding cars: plastics, foam, rubber, glass and fabric.
Auto shredder residue (ASR), sometimes called “fluff,” is the mix of plastics, foam, rubber, glass, fabric and dirt left after shredded vehicles have had their metals removed. Much of it has historically gone to landfill, and recovering more of it is a focus of auto recycling.
It is one reason yards remove fluids and hazardous parts before shredding: contaminants that end up in residue make it harder to recycle or dispose of.
The EPA has issued an interpretation that generally allows plastic separated from shredder residue at metal recycling facilities to be recycled, under voluntary procedures designed to keep regulated PCBs out of the recycled plastic.1
References
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Federal Register, “Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs); Recycling Plastics from Shredder Residue” (EPA notice, April 5, 2013), https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2013/04/05/2013-07981/polychlorinated-biphenyls-pcbs-recycling-plastics-from-shredder-residue ↩