How Do Scrapyards Work?
It is said that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. This is definitely proven to be a true statement when one investigates the value of Scrapyards and the scrap metal industry in South Africa. The scrap metal industry contributes roughly R15 billion per year to the country’s gross domestic product.
This would equate to approximately 2,5 to 3 million tonnes of scrap metal being recycled every year in South Africa alone.
How Does this Process Work?
As one would expect, the bulk of this industry is supported by the larger scrapyards. For this exercise, we would like to concentrate on how vehicle scrapyards work and what we do with your scrap car.
The reason for this is that motor vehicles not only hold a goldmine of scrap metal but they also contain many hazardous materials that could, if irresponsibly managed, wreak havoc with the local environment. We at A.S.A.P. Spares would therefore like to take you through the process of how a responsible scrapyards works and how we would dispose of your scrap car.
The Stripping Down of Your Vehicle
Once we have received the papers to scrap your car from either yourself or the insurance company, your vehicle is ready for the beginning of the stripping process. First and most importantly, our experienced team of car strippers will drain any and all hazardous fluids. This will include removing the battery and storing it in a place of safety until it can be tested. Then, the coolant fluid and brake fluid along with the gearbox and differential oils will be carefully drained and stored for collection.
We keep the fluids separate because not only are they hazardous to human health if disposed of irresponsibly but they also have a significant resale value for repurposing and recycling in the automotive and other industries.
The car is then stripped down to its shell. Everything on the vehicle, including the engine, gearbox, differentials, and other mechanical parts are removed. We then concentrate on the electronics, car stereo, computer boxes, looms, interior, and anything else of value that is taken out. Anything that is still functioning well and in a good working order or is deemed to have value is saved for resale on site while broken or unsalable parts would be set aside for recycling.
There’s Gold in the Weigh Scale
All the undamaged parts of the body which might be able to be reused are either removed from or cut away from the damaged parts. We then collect all the undamaged parts that have now been removed from your car through the stripping process and they are then assessed by our in-house professionals. A competitive rand value is attached to each item and the parts are then distributed between either our neatly categorised undercover shelving area or displayed in our skilfully organised scrapyards for resale.
Electronics and moving parts in a good working order usually sell very well and other parts like rims, tyres, and undamaged bodywork hold really good value not only because replacing them with new parts can be expensive but also because these are parts that often take the brunt of an impact collision and are well sought after.
The broken, accident-damaged body and parts that cannot be reused or repurposed are now collected by our trusted, responsible scrap metal dealers who remove these parts and weigh them at our premises. Again, if responsibly managed, even though damaged beyond repair, these parts of your car still have a value attached to them.
The damaged metal parts, including all damaged or broken mechanical parts are sorted into either ferrous or non-ferrous metals. Non-ferrous metals include copper, stainless steel, aluminium, brass, and gold and have a much higher value at the scrapyards.
Ferrous metals, on the other hand, are metals that contain steel, cast iron, or iron. These metals are in abundance and tend to not be as valuable as non-ferrous metals but the weight of the various pieces of ferrous metals all add up in the end and once a competitive price is agreed upon between ourselves and our preferred scrapyard dealers, the metal is sent to be recycled.
Waste Not, Want Not!
Now in the hands of our trusted scrapyard dealers, the process begins all over again. Ferrous and non-ferrous materials will be separated at our premises but this time, the scrapyard dealer will categorise the various types of metals into their specific groups. Copper would go to the copper pile, brass would go to the brass pile, and so on until all the metals have been sorted.
The metals are then either forwarded to other facilities like ship merchants for ballasts in the hulls of their ships or metal art studios and other raw material manufacturers but for the most part, these metals are melted down at the scrapyards to be sent to a manufacturer to become something new.
It’s not only the damaged metals from your scrap car that are recycled. Rubber from damaged tyres, windows, and door seals or radiator hoses or broken plastic and even damaged or cracked glass from the vehicle are sent for repurposing, so almost nothing goes to waste.
Read more about Scrapyards in Pretoria here.
Passionate About Doing It Right!
For more than 20 years, we at A.S.A.P. Spares have been passionate about responsible recycling, and we are ardent supporters of our environment and the longevity of our planet. This is why we select our scrapyards and recycling partners with such care.
From the recycling of hazardous liquids to the repurposing of our damaged or broken spare parts, we ensure that almost your entire scrap car finds a new home in one way, shape, or form. Whether it reappears as a stained-glass window, a tin can, a new microwave oven, or even a new deep freeze, we strive to do our best at doing it right!
One thing we know for sure though is if a body panel, electronic component, or any other spare part from your scrap car appears for sale at our A.S.A.P. Spares scrapyards, you can rest assured that it is a really good conditioned, pre-loved part from your vehicle that is ready for another lifetime on the road. Contact us if you have an accident-damaged car or if you need quality, new or used spares. You might be pleasantly surprised at our quotations and competitive prices.