In 2009, the Car Allowance Rebates System (CARS), fondly known as the Cash for Clunkers program, was put into effect to take older, less efficient vehicles off the road and replace them with vehicles that get better gas mileage and release fewer tailpipe emissions. The program was mainly designed to provide a long-term economic boost to U.S car companies. But what was actually accomplished by the program? Unfortunately, CARS didn’t account for the total lifecycle of the scrapped vehicles, or the environmental cost of manufacturing the new vehicles that were sold. When the incentive was offered, automakers sold nearly 690,000 vehicles in cities with lots of used cars, only to see sales plummet again once the program expired.
According to the Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA), almost 100% of a vehicle can be recycled. Even the fluids can be reused, according to the ARA. Transmission and brake fluids, anti-freeze, oil, gasoline, diesel and Freon from air conditioners are harvested at scrap yards for use in other vehicles. However, still-functioning engines are the most valuable part of a scrapped car. The engine itself takes the most amount of energy and resources to manufacture, so car companies reap both an environmental and cost benefit from being able to recycle engine parts.
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