A vehicle no longer suitable for use (ENTP) cannot simply be left in the yard – it must be handed over to a waste manager authorized to handle it, according to a press release from the Environmental Protection Institute.
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Not everyone dismantles legally
“If after a storm it is no longer worth repairing a car, its journey should not end in the yard or garage. It is important to hand over such a vehicle to legally operating waste managers who will ensure that as many of its parts as possible are recycled or reused. Illegal dismantlers often sell only valuable parts, while waste with no market value is thrown into municipal waste containers, left in forest edges or remote places, or burned. Therefore, it is especially important to find out to whom you entrust an unwanted car and what will be done with it next,” explained Asta Pakštaitė-Marcinkienė, head of the Manufacturers and Importers Association (GIA).
More than 300 car dismantlers operate legally in Lithuania. At the beginning of the year, with the introduction of the responsibility principle for car manufacturers and importers, most of them signed contracts with licensed organizations that organize and finance the management of waste with negative or no value – plastic, glass, used oil, and other materials.
About 1,000 tons of such waste are removed monthly, which will be recycled and used to produce new products. This prevents them from ending up in landfills, and the tasks of managing car waste are implemented not only on paper but also in practice.
“A realistically functioning responsibility system for car manufacturers and importers helps save natural resources, reduce the environmental impact of waste, and ensure that waste generated during car dismantling is not disposed of in landfills. Of course, the responsibility of car owners themselves is also important – to hand over vehicles no longer in use to legally operating waste managers,” emphasized A. Pakštaitė-Marcinkienė.
Car waste – raw material for new products
What has no value to illegal dismantlers can become valuable raw material for legal waste managers. Old tires are recycled into rubber granules used to make sports and playground surfaces, car parking protective posts, and other products. Plastic car parts, such as headlights, dashboards, bumpers, or tanks, can be shredded and used to manufacture new products or generate energy.
Car windows in good condition can be repaired and used in other vehicles, while those no longer suitable for use are recycled into raw materials for new glass products. Used vehicle oil is usually recycled into base oil, from which new lubricants are made.
Who can legally dismantle cars?
Legislation stipulates that vehicle purchase and dismantling can be carried out by waste managers who meet the requirements, have the necessary permits, licenses, and comply with other environmental requirements. They must be registered in the State Waste Managers Register, and employees handling hazardous waste must be properly trained.
It is important for the car owner to ensure that the vehicle no longer suitable for use is handed over to a waste manager authorized to handle it. Suspicion should arise if a waste buyer only provides a phone number in the advertisement, requests cash payment, and avoids issuing documents confirming the transfer of the vehicle.
When handing over a vehicle no longer suitable for use to a buyer, it is important to request a document about its destruction. This is one of the most important ways to ensure that the car will be handled legally and that the waste remaining after dismantling will not end up in forest edges or other unauthorized places.
More information about where to free of charge surrender an old car or report illegal buyers and dismantlers can be found here and here.
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