Big Three to Show Off Recycling Efforts in Detroit
by Jenna Watson, Barcelona on 01.11.08
“More than 84 percent, by weight, of the 12 to15 million vehicles dismantled each year are recycled. That makes end-of-life vehicles the most recycled product in America, both in volume and percentage.”
Straight from the mouths of automotive manufacturers and an intriguing press release from the “Vehicle Recycling Partnership LLC” or VRC; a group managed by The United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR). They will have a recycling exhibit at the 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit that “will showcase the collaborative efforts among Chrysler LLC, Ford Motor Company and General Motors Corporation to reduce the environmental impact of end-of-life vehicles.”
USCAR is the umbrella organization for collaborative research between those three American automotive giants. Their VRP program has honorable objectives; finding ways to dismantle and recycle vehicles and keep automotive waste out of landfills.
Here’s where the buzz words (including our up and coming LCA) come in:
“As part of its portfolio of “green” advances, the VRP: created material selection and design guidelines to optimize vehicle recyclability; partnered with the dismantling industry to improve the safety and efficiency of vehicle disassembly; and compiled industry data to create an end-of-life vehicle “Life Cycle Analysis” map that identifies each step of the vehicle recycling process.”
There are obvious reasons to be skeptical when reading a press release from these gas-guzzling giants, but the other side of the critical coin makes one think that these are the guys that need to work together to get life cycle data together so that we can have accurate studies. Manufacturer collaboration is essential for up-to-date databases.
However, it is each of our responsibilities to leave those cars in the garage and walk to work, take your bike, grab the skate board, wheel to work on roller blades or hop on public transport. Let’s see what else they have to say about the environment in Detroit. Read the full press release here. More on cars and LCA here. Image copyright and credit: Charlie Fagan 2000.
Be this as it may, the auto industry has far greater destructive implications than just the environment. Think about the cultural and societal ruin that the automobile industry has created throughout the world. Job flighting, lazy fat people, anti-social behavior, less mass transit, suburban sprawl, then all the environmental destruction directly caused by the industry itself. Being green should not just be eliminating your carbon footprint, or recycling, but should include being a healthy human being with healthy interactions with other humans, animals, and the environment.
I am sceptical about this. If you take a 15 kg computer and try to recycle 86% of that (by weight) it is much harder than to recycle a 1500 kg car :-)
Again, Detroit is just as trustworthy as the politicans they buy.
RECYCLE THE NEW COMPRESSED AIR CARS???
What percentage of the new Compressed Air Powered Car will be recycleable.
When people learn that they can drive an Air Powered Car for undrer one cent per mile, there will eventually be a whole lot of them ready for recycleing.
Leo Wells