Recycling Your Car And Getting Paid For It — How, Where, And Why

Have you ever wondered what happens to cars that can’t be driven anymore? Or, have you heard of automotive recycling but don’t really know what that means? If so, you’re not alone.

Even though the auto recycling industry is thriving, most drivers don’t really know what it means to recycle a car. After all, car recycling is complicated and requires specialized knowledge and facilities that aren’t typically in the public eye.

However, recycling your car should the need arise is the most profitable and ecologically friendly decision you can make!

How Are Cars Recycled?

This is many people’s first question when they hear about automotive recycling for the first time. Recycling cars is a bit more involved than recycling soda cans or your junk mail. When a car goes to a scrap yard to be recycled, it goes through a number of steps to be broken down and its parts recycled or disposed of.

First, any fluids left in your car will be drained and properly disposed of. Though you may have done a good job using up the last bit of gas in your tank before sending your car to a junkyard, there are at least eight other fluids that will need to be drained!

Next, any usable parts will be stripped from your car to be resold. Even though your vehicle may not drive anymore in its current condition, most of its parts are still usable in some capacity. In fact, the average car passing through a recycling facility will be at least 80 percent recyclable!

The parts that can still be used and purchased by other drivers through secondhand parts retailers may include things like your side mirrors, transmission, or power locks.

The last step is for recyclable materials to be separated from nonrecyclable materials. This means the metal, glass, and rubber from your car will be separated to be recycled fully (many old tires end up being used in road construction!). The non-recyclable remaining material from the car is then compacted into a ball no bigger than your fist!

Where Are Cars Recycled?

Cars are recycled everywhere! All around the nation are reputable junk and scrap yards who are qualified to recycle vehicles. The auto recycling industry employs around 140,000 people in the United States, and nearly 12 million cars are recycled a year. If there’s so many options, where should you get your car recycled?

There’s a few things you should always consider when deciding where to recycle your vehicle. Broadly, you should be aware that not all car recycling facilities are the same, and some have less than savory business practices.

Because car recycling requires specialized knowledge and the average driver isn’t intimately aware of the value of badly damaged vehicles, it’s easy for junkyards to pull scams on unsuspecting customers.

This doesn't mean recycling your car needs to be an intimidating process. You just need to know what to look for.

Reputable junkyards have a few qualities that will be easy to identify quickly. First, you should be able to receive a free quote over the phone just by answering a few questions. You should also be able to receive verification of this quote to guarantee they can’t swap it out for a lower price later.

Never accept a no-value valuation of your car or offers for deferred payment. Towing should also always be free.

If the prospect of finding a scrap yard with all of these boxes checked is overwhelming, there’s good news. The automotive industry has adapted to a changing cohort of drivers that prefers to do their business online, and auto recycling is no exception.

Nowadays, you can arrange to have your junk car picked up and recycled from the comfort of your own home.

With DamagedCars.com, you can get a guaranteed quote in 90 seconds. All we’ll need is some photos of your car to show its condition and its Vehicle Identification Number (also known as the VIN, this can be found looking through the driver's side of your windshield).

We’ll arrange complementary towing on your schedule, and once one of our drivers arrives with your check, all you’ll need to do is sign over your title and hand over your keys.

We can even arrange your tow within 24-48 hours of you accepting your quote, meaning you can have your car sold to a reputable recycler in your area in just days.

Why Recycle My Car?

Recycling your car when it’s no longer drivable or needs more in repairs than it's worth is the best decision for your wallet, other drivers, and the planet.

When it comes time to get rid of a junk car, selling it privately or trading it in aren’t particularly lucrative options. This leaves you the choice of trying (possibly for months) to find a private seller interested in buying it for very little and fixing it up, recycling it, or taking it to a garbage dump.

When you recycle your car, you’re taking it to specialists best equipped to see its value and maximize the amount of usefulness left in the car. Taking it to a garbage dump doesn’t make you any money (and may even cost you if you need to have the car towed there).

The parts removed from your car for resale also save other drivers money by contributing to a healthy used car part market, preventing the need to buy parts new. This also reduces the strain on the manufacturing process, which is an environmental plus.

Cars disposed of in garbage dumps also take up massive amounts of space that should be allocated for non-recyclable garbage. Minimizing the amount of space we occupy in garbage dumps is important to prevent the need from opening more, and increasing the amount of land we dedicate to holding waste.

Plus, cars that are thrown out rather than being possibly dismantled for recycling put toxins back into the soil and our drinking water. Recycling your car is the friendliest decision for your wallet and the planet, so sell your junk car to DamagedCars.com today!