Your old car is full of toxic chemicals. See how we depollute and recycle vehicles to protect the Wisconsin ecosystem.
The Toxic Cocktail in Your Driveway
A car is a miracle of engineering. It is also an environmental disaster waiting to happen. The average passenger vehicle contains:
- 5-10 quarts of Oil.
- 3 gallons of Coolant (Ethylene Glycol).
- 1 gallon of Transmission Fluid.
- 1 pound of Freon (Refrigerant).
- Mercury switches.
- Lead-acid battery.
If you let that car rot in a field, those fluids leak into the groundwater. If you sell it to an unlicensed “scrapper” who crushes it in a backyard, they spill that oil into the soil.
{businessInfo.name} is a Certified Automotive Recycler. Here is how we do it right.
Step 1: Fluid Recovery (Depollution)
Before a single bolt is removed, the car goes to the “Rack.” We use a specialized evacuation system that drills into the tanks and sucks the fluids out into sealed drums.
- Engine Oil: Filtered and reused as fuel for waste-oil heaters (heating the shop in winter).
- Coolant: Recycled and purified into new antifreeze.
- Gasoline: Filtered and used to run our yard trucks.
Nothing touches the ground.
Step 2: The Mercury & Lead Hunt
Older cars (pre-2003) often use mercury switches for hood lights and ABS brakes. Mercury is incredibly toxic to fish and wildlife. We manually remove every switch and send them to a dedicated EPA containment facility. Lead batteries are sent to battery recyclers where the lead and plastic are harvested to make new batteries (a 99% recycling rate!).
Step 3: Refrigerant Capture
It is illegal to vent A/C Freon (R-134a) into the atmosphere. It destroys the ozone layer. We use a recovery machine to suck the gas out and store it for purification.
Step 4: Parts Harvesting (Reuse is Best)
The greenest product is the one that already exists. By salvaging a door, an alternator, or a bumper, we prevent the carbon emissions needed to manufacture a new part.
- Circular Economy: Your junk car keeps 10 other cars on the road, reducing the need for new mining and manufacturing.
Step 5: The Shredder (Final Separation)
The remaining steel shell is shredded.
- Ferrous Metal (Iron/Steel): Magnetically separated. Melted down to make beams, rebar, and new sheet metal.
- Non-Ferrous (Aluminum/Copper): Separated by eddy currents. Used for wire and canning.
- ASR (Auto Shredder Residue): The plastic/glass/foam. This is the only part that ends up in a landfill, and technology is improving daily to recycle this too.
Summary
Selling your junk car isn’t just about the cash. It’s about responsible disposal. By choosing {businessInfo.name}, you ensure that the hazardous waste in your vehicle never reaches the Milwaukee River or Lake Michigan. Recycle responsibly.