What is Automotive Waste, and What are We Doing About it?
eWASA (EPR Waste Association of South Africa)
EPR PRO for EEE, Lighting & Packaging Sectors. Environmentally Sound e-Waste Management
Being a car owner doesn’t come cheap. When you sign those papers you take on the cost of servicing, insurance, disc renewal, tyres, windscreen repairs, and the list goes on. You also take on your own personal environmental burden. Cars are notorious polluters and everyone knows burning petrol pumps carbon dioxide into the air. Yet running the engine is not the only problem.?
Cars also create a lot of waste. Automotive waste includes engine oil and brake pads but also covers the end-of-life waste you get when it's time to scrap the vehicle.?
Automotive Waste From Consumables?
This is the inescapable waste that comes from servicing and maintaining your car. Replacing consumable parts is non-negotiable if you want the vehicle to keep running so there isn’t much way to avoid this type of automotive waste. The best thing you can do is ask your mechanic what they do with the following waste products and suggest eco-friendly disposal.?
●??????? Engine oil – subject to EPR regulation since 2023. Dirty oil can be cleaned and recycled.
●??????? Car batteries – lead acid (traditional) and lithium-ion (hybrid vehicles).
●??????? Tyres – plenty of tyre recycling facilities available in South Africa.
●??????? Brake pads – made from valuable metals and ceramics that may be recycled.
●??????? Brake and transmission fluids – also covered by EPR regulations.
●??????? Coolant/Antifreeze – classified as hazardous waste and must be disposed of safely.
●??????? Oil filters – may be contaminated with motor oil and cannot go in the dustbin.?
End-of-Life Automotive Waste?
This is the waste created by scrapping your car at the end of its life or when the cost of repairs outweighs the value of the vehicle and it becomes an insurance write-off. Most yard operators will try to salvage what they can from the wreckage before shredding the remaining components.
●??????? Scrap metal – can be from the body of the vehicle or from the parts under the bonnet. Aluminium and steel are two of the most sought-after metals in the scrap sector, which boosts our economy by about R40 billion every year.
●??????? E-waste – everything in the vehicle that relies on electricity. ABS brakes, infotainment systems, electric windows, and lighting are just some of the types of e-waste you might find in a scrapped car. This type of automotive waste is subject to EPR regulations and must be recycled accordingly.
●??????? Car “fluff” – everything left over once the valuable metals have been taken out of the car. That includes rubber, glass, different types of plastic, and textiles from the seats and belts. Once this material is shredded and mixed together, it can be very challenging to recycle.
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Recycling Initiatives from SA’s Leading Car Brands
?Jaguar Land Rover?
JLR is a big fan of the circular economy and has launched quite a few initiatives to get recycled materials into the mainstream of car manufacturing. One such project is called “Project Reality” which focuses on upcycling aluminium from scrapped cars.?
The aluminium required for this project comes from used vehicles and other sources. JLR processes it together and uses the mix to create a strong auto-class alloy made for high-performance. Through this initiative, Jaguar Land Rover has been able to cut manufacturing emissions by more than 25%. The group is also looking at ways of making eco-friendly car mats from recycled fishing nets.?
Toyota?
Toyota SA has undertaken numerous recycling and waste-minimisation projects as part of the Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050. One of its many ambitions is to establish a recycling-based society. In 2021, the South African branch of the company began pursuing lithium-ion battery recycling. These are the batteries found in hybrid vehicles, such as the locally-produced Toyota Cross.?
Hybrid vehicle batteries contain many valuable metals that can be recovered through recycling and reused in the production of new cells. Using old batteries as secondary raw materials supports Toyota’s campaign to increase the use of hybrid vehicles in South Africa.?
Nissan?
The Nissan Green Program outlines how the car manufacturer plans to reduce CO2 emissions and realise a circular economy. On the waste front, Nissan plans to increase the recycled material content in its vehicles to 40% by 2030. It is currently investing in recycling technologies for aluminium and mixed plastics to recover more materials during the vehicle scrapping process.?
Nissan is also a big supporter of the right to repair movement. To help people get the most use out of their cars, Nissan ensures it can produce parts for older vehicles long after they go off the market. It does this through die-less moulding – a process that allows manufacturers to cut parts from metal without a physical template or “die”.?
Volkswagen?
Volkswagen Group, including VW SA, reduces automotive waste through its Exchange Parts program. Exchange Parts are fully functional refurbished vehicle parts that have been removed and reconditioned from another car, often at the end of its life. VW makes sure all Exchange Parts are thoroughly tested for safety and reliability before offering them to customers.?
The carmaker also recycles particulate filters and catalytic converters as part of its waste-reduction program. This process recovers metals like platinum and palladium and puts them back into manufacturing. Upon conducting a life cycle assessment, VW announced that using secondary precious metals in production uses 97% less energy than processing virgin metals.?
Why Meaningful Private Engagement Matters?
Automotive waste is not new and it’s not going anywhere, especially without private investment. Thinking that governments and civil society groups can tackle the issue alone would be a gross misjudgement. Here is where EPR and “polluter pays” ideology shines, as seen in the inspiring examples above.?
For more information about any of the companies listed above or extended producer responsibility as a whole, please get in touch.
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