industry statistics
ARA LIBRARY of INDUSTRY STANDARDS & RESOURCES
The professional automotive recycling industry is continuously evolving to keep pace with the developments in motor vehicle technology and the dynamic automotive parts supply chain. The Automotive Recyclers Association is proud to offer a library of industry standards, resources, and digital documents for professional automotive recycling businesses. Lear more or Download these documents today to use in your employee training and overal education.
WE ARE THE ORIGINAL RECYCLERS
Did You Know…that automobiles are among the most recycled commodities in the marketplace? Today the professional automotive recycling industry recycles over 4 million motor vehicles annually in the U.S. and Canada alone!
U.S. Economy
The automotive recycling industry employs over 140,000 people in the United States at more than 9,000 locations around the country. Generating $32 billion in sales nationwide, the industry helps support many other industries like shipping, waste removal, forklift and heavy equipment, and towing.
Environment
The professional automotive recycling industry is continuously implementing creative ways to reuse components, reduce waste and increase recycling rates from the process of manufacturing vehicles through their end-of-life recycling.
In 2017, the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) partnered with ARA affiliate chapter, the Automotive Recyclers of Massachusetts, to study the industry’s carbon footprint in the state. WPI determined that reclaiming auto parts for re-use, then recycling the steel and aluminum left in vehicles at the end of their usable life reduced the state’s carbon footprint by at least 2.2 million tons of carbon dioxide annually. Click here to read the complete study.
Approximately 86 percent of a vehicle’s material content is recycled, reused or used for energy recovery. Using recycled scrap iron and steel reduces the use of new iron ore. Every ton of new steel made from scrap steel conserves:
- 2,500 lbs. of iron ore
- 1,400 lbs. of coal
- 120 lbs. of limestone
In addition to conserving natural resources, automotive recycling plays an important role in reducing air and water pollution, and solid waste generation. Each year the industry collects and reuses or recycles an estimated:
- 8 million gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel
- 24 million gallons of motor oil
- 8 million gallons of engine coolant
- 5 million gallons of windshield washer fluid
- 96% of all lead acid batteries
Additional energy and resource conservation is realized by recycling rebuildable “core” parts to the automotive parts rebuilding industry.