Auto Recycle

Whether you call it auto donation, car removal, or salvage, the reality is that we're talking about auto recycling; taking what one person is done with, and trying either giving it new uses, and/or disposing of it.

Sometimes cars end up rotting and polluting ground water around large auto salvage yards, and less often cars are truly recycled, with the metal and plastics reclaimed, and the noxious chemicals handled with respect for the environment. There are many shades of grey in between. Fortunately, genuinely sound environmental auto recycling is finally getting a foothold.

Today's cars and trucks may be kinder to the environment while they're on the road, but they can cause much more damage once they leave it. For example, there are a variety of reasons why many municipalities require people to pay a fee when disposing of old computers. Today's automobiles couldn't function without the multiple computer chips that monitor virtually all activities.

Arsenic and mercury are only two of the many toxic chemicals leached into the environment when computer chips aren't disposed of properly. Cars have been littered with computer chips for well over a decade, and the current crop of vehicles leaving the road are presenting new challenges that ''old-school'' salvage yards aren't prepared for.

The answer is to recycle your auto. Whether you have a car, truck, or RV, auto recycling is the environmentally responsible thing to do. Be sure that the car donation program, auto removal company, or salvage yard you choose shares the same opinion.