Many Americans may be pleased and surprised to learn that automobiles are the most recycled consumer products in the world. Each year, 95 percent of retired autos are processed for recycling.
Everything from floor mats and instrument panels to upholstery, aluminum and steel can be recycled for use in a new automobile or another consumer product. About 26 automobiles are recycled every minute and at least 84 percent of a car's material content is recycled.
Old autos become new ones, old consumer products are recycled into components of new autos, and parts of old autos are recycled into new consumer products. For instance, milk jugs are recycled into auto trim while carpet becomes sound-deadening material, and spent battery casings become splash shields. Metals such as steel and copper are melted down and reused for new consumer products, building construction or in a new vehicle. Consumer batteries used in flashlights or cameras are often made from melted metal from an old auto.
For more information on auto reinCARnation, visit www.auto alliance.org.
What goes around-Cars are the most recycled consumer product. |
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