Almost 1,000 cars per week have been recycled in Ireland since laws concerning 'End-of-Life' vehicles were enacted in 2006.
Proper recycling regulations
In the 778 weeks since then, an average of 996 cars per week have been put through proper reclamation processes - as opposed to simply being scrapped, or let's face it, being abandoned at the bottom of a field, as was so often the way before.
According to vehicle history and data expert Cartell.ie, some 775,000 vehicles have been disposed of within the remit of the regulations since 2006, and that equates to more than one million tonnes of recycled materials.
Reused or recycled parts at 85 per cent
The regulations state that, originally, the idea was to get 85 per cent of a car's components recovered or reused, with an 80 per cent reuse or recycle rate. For a car made after the 1st of January 2015, that jumps up to 95 per cent recovery and reuse, and 85 per cent recycle and reuse.
In the last week of April, a massive 1,879 cars were processed in this manner. On top of the 778,000 End-of-Life cars, another 390,876 were registered as being more simply 'scrapped.' This brings us to a total of 1,165,605 cars that have been taken off Irish roads, and out of Irish ditches, since 2006.
Important for road safety
Jeff Aherne, Innovation Lead, Cartell.ie, said: "In terms of waste management these regulations have resulted in the disposal of an estimated one million tonnes of old vehicles. This is a significant amount of waste within the context of environmental protection. The other significant thing comes with the reporting of these vehicles as End-of-Life meaning they cannot return to the road - from a road safety perspective this is important. Cartell reports can identify if a vehicle is scrapped or End-of-Life just in case unscrupulous individuals try and use a cloned vehicle."