How Junkyards Help the Environment
When you drive past a junkyard, you might notice piles of old cars, scrap metal, and car parts. What you may not realize is how the junkyard is helping the environment in amazing ways. The truth is, selling your old car to a junkyard is a fantastic way to reduce your carbon footprint and contribute to a healthier earth.
JunkYards Give Used Cars a Second Life
Across the country, old, broken down cars can be seen degrading in garages or even on front lawns. More than just eyesores, these rust buckets are actually polluting the environment.
By selling your car to a junkyard, however, you are turning it into a source of recycled material that would otherwise be wasted. Following strict governmental policies, salvage yards recycle old cars and protect the environment by:
- Stripping them for scrap metal
- Reusing parts that still work
- Properly dealing with deadly chemicals
Even the most broken down car can be stripped down for scrap metal. And most used cars are full of parts that can be recycled for use in other vehicles. If you threw these parts into a dump, not only would it be wasteful but some car parts can wreak havoc on the environment if not disposed of properly.
Recycling Metals Reduces Mining
It’s surprising how much metal we use in our daily lives. New metals are obtained through mining, which isn’t exactly earth-friendly. Mining pollutes the earth and dumps tons of toxins into our water, air, and soil, while leaving a giant scar on the earth.
Junkyards are eager to take important metals from an old car, such as steel and aluminum, and reuse them for something else. The more that salvage yards can recycle metals the less mining needs to be done.
Junkyards Prevent Chemical Pollution
Some of the most toxic chemicals for the environment are used in cars. These include battery acid, coolant, and oil. In fact, it may surprise you to learn that an average junked car will contain between 5 to 10 gallons of these chemicals.
If a car is left to decay or thrown into a landfill, harmful toxins can cause serious damage to the soil, the water supply, the surrounding wildlife, and humans! Studies show that some of these substances can affect the central nervous system or even cause kidney failure.
Salvage yards know how to handle car fluids properly. They can even reuse dead car batteries that contain toxic lead.
Take the Right Step
Don’t just let your old beater sit around and decay. Take the right steps to protect yourself and the environment by putting your car in the hands of junkyard professionals.
