End-of-life motor vehicles

End-of-life motor vehicles (ELV) are a significant contributor to waste volumes. Every year, over 500,000 vehicles in Australia reach the end of their life and enter the waste stream.

The number of ELVs arising in Australia each year is likely to increase at an escalating rate as the result of a continuing upward trend in the rate of vehicle ownership, the decreasing average age of vehicles at end-of-life, the declining cost effectiveness of owning older vehicles and the declining cost of new cars.

As the number of ELVs continues to increase, the proportion being recycled will need to be maximised to limit environmental impacts and resource loss.  At the moment, the most common method for ELV recycling involves dismantling of vehicles and removal of parts that can be sold for reuse, removal of potential environmentally damaging materials, shredding of metal content and the residual materials.  The main output from the shredding of car bodies is ferrous and nonferrous materials.

The residual mixture, once the metal content has been removed, is classified as 'shredder floc' which is not recycled but disposed of to landfill as waste. This material is made up of plastics, rubber, glass, dirt, carpet fibres and seat foam.  With the increased use of plastics in new vehicles, the metal content will continue to decline leading to increased levels of shredder floc. Shredder floc is a key area of potential environmental concern in relation to ELVs.

Project purpose

The Victorian Government's Sustainability in Action: Towards Zero Waste Strategy sets priorities for waste and resource management in Victoria over the next 10 years. The Strategy identifies the need to increase the recycling rate from the Municipal and Commercial and Industrial sectors to 65% and 80% by 2014, respectively.

The Strategy assigns priority to a range of products offering significant capacity for improved resource recovery and/or reduced environmental harm when disposed of, as well as the additional emphasis on shared responsibility across the product life cycle. Motor vehicles have been identified in the Strategy as a key priority product. 

In the lead up to the mid-term review of the Strategy, Sustainability Victoria has identified the need to develop supporting documentation on the status of motor vehicles to inform their strategic decision-making about the need to intervene to ensure that Victoria accomplishes the Strategy's objectives.

This study aims to inform Sustainability Victoria on how or whether to initiate programs to manage the end-of-life impacts from motor vehicles.

Proposed key outcomes of the study include:

• enhanced understanding of consumption of motor vehicles in Victoria
• trends in use
• key materials used in the manufacture of motor vehicles - historically and currently
• quantification of motor vehicles and vehicle components entering the waste stream
• a comprehensive understanding of the different disposal methods
• stakeholder identification
• literature review on local and international experiences
• identification of barriers to motor vehicle recovery
• economic value of ELVs
• summary of possible future pathways.

Download the full report on end-of-life motor vehicles below.