Thursday, November 22, 2007

Car Heaven a Good Idea but needs work!

I'm having real trouble accepting Car Heaven's program. Ostensibly, it is a noble effort to reduce excess waste and responsibly recycle reusable materials. It is promoted heavily by auto journalists and backed by the Clean Air Foundation. A look at their web page shows they've done a great job on certain fronts. The gasoline, diesel fuel, oils and lubricants which average 19 liters per vehicle, are being recovered through re use or responsible disposal. The same goes for various parts like gas tanks, CFCs and HCFCs which are regfrigerant liquids and mercury switches.
When it comes to actual engine and drivetrain components and tires, Car Heaven starts slipping off track. It states in the Parts ReUse category that depending on their condition or sale potential parts are dismantled, reconditioned and sold to customers, minimizing the need for manufacturing new parts. So far so good. Then it says none of the parts of the vehicle that contribute to emissions (the engine, transmission, exhaust, electrical system, catalytic converter, sensors, cooling system, distributor and starter) are re used. However, front and rear ends, body panels, wheels, windows and windshields are re sold to customers.

One can only presume the said drivetrain and electrical components are sold to metal foundries and metal vendors since all of the said items are patently re usable. Remember this is for cars 1995 and older. Just where are you going to locate a 2.8 V6 engine eight years from now? The supply of affordable replacement parts is at risk with this program.
The most astounding part of the procedure has to do with the eventual destruction of the car. It is shredded using a machine that pulverises the car into fist sized chunks in minutes. Then magnetic devices are used to separate the ferrous and non ferrous metals for resale. The nonmetallic particles such as rubber, plastics, foam, dirt, glass and metal particles are landfilled.
Plastics, foam rubber, in other words your vinyl interior, dashboard, carpets, headliners, all that stuff made of volatile organic compounds and petrochemical by products are plowed into the ground! This make sense to a group concerned about environmetal stewardship?It smells rotten to me. Putting that stuff in the ground is irresponsible. Car Heaven needs serious work to fix that problem!

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