Depollution
Removing fluids, batteries and hazardous parts from a junk car before it is crushed or shredded.
Depollution is the first step in recycling a junk car: draining fuel, oil, coolant, brake and transmission fluid; recovering refrigerant; and removing the battery, tires, mercury switches and other parts that need special handling before the hulk is crushed or shredded.
Reputable yards depollute because environmental rules cover fluids, refrigerant and hazardous parts, and because shredders and scrap buyers demand it. It is also why you shouldn’t drain fluids onto the ground yourself before selling a car.
The EPA describes how Annex I of the EU End-of-Life Vehicles Directive strictly controls storage and treatment of ELVs through depollution procedures and required parts removal, and says dismantlers must obtain permits to handle them.1
References
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Recycling and Reuse: End-of-Life Vehicles and Producer Responsibility” (November 2008), https://archive.epa.gov/oswer/international/web/html/200811_elv_directive.html ↩