21a Rough Hey Road, Grimsargh, Preston, PR2 5AR
01772 700607

End of Life Vehicle Centre

use your local ‘end of life vehicle’ centres

Your old vehicle has come to the end of its road and you need to dispose of it. Do you know where you would go or what to do? Environmental protection legislation brought in by the government around 2005 has changed all the rules surrounding end of life vehicle disposal.

Today we are all now very much aware of the need to protect our environment and the requirement to recycle as many manufactured products as we can wherever possible. When it comes to getting rid of our old unwanted vehicles old fashioned scrap yards are rapidly becoming a thing of the past and the likelihood of encountering piles of rusting vehicles stacked up high is very much reduced. Environmental protection legislation has changed the way we deal with vehicles that have come to the end of their useful lives.

Authorised Treatment Facility

These days, vehicles unfit for the road need to be taken to Authorised Treatment Facilities often known as ATF ‘End of Life Vehicle Centres’ for de-pollution and dismantling. These centres must comply with the requirements of the End of Life Vehicle (ELV) and Environmental Permitting regulations.

The Environment Agency in England and Wales licences Authorised Treatment Facilities to de-pollute vehicles to standards set by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

This is where trusted companies such as Allstar Breakers come and as they’ll recycle and destroy your end of life vehicle free of charge and you’ll be paid for its scrap value for it too. With metal price soaring that’s certainly worth taking into consideration. However, this payment will not be made in cash as new rules dictate that you’ll be paid by cheque or bank transfer.

Reputable licensed companies will transport your vehicle safely to an authorised treatment facility to be dismantled and recycled, with any unwanted parts disposed of following the correct environmentally aware procedures.

Waste Carriers License

Ensure that these companies carry a Waste Carrier’s Licence. The driver collecting your scrap vehicle should carry the licence on them and a Certificate of Destruction should be issued to you by post within 12 days of your vehicle being taken to the ATF. Remember that it’s really not worth the risk driving an illegal un-roadworthy car to the centre.

There are still a few rogue operators out there who will pay high prices for cars but take advantage of the fact that they are still registered under their owner’s name on the logbook.

Some vehicles, such as MOT failures, may well be put back on the road in an illegal state so previous owners end up with parking tickets or speeding fines when they have been totally innocent of any crime, and nowhere near the vehicle that they believed to be scrapped.

It is therefore vital that the company you give your vehicle to is fully licensed and legitimate so that you have peace of mind safe in the knowledge that your End of Life vehicle has been taken off the road. Only ATF ‘End of Life Vehicle Centres are able to issue Certificate of Destruction.

end of life vehicle centre in Preston

Finally, remember that although scrap prices are currently high, if a price seems too good to be true it probably is, and that the extra money may not be worth the hassle, especially when you will remain responsible for any parking tickets and speeding fines that come through your door after you thought you had disposed of your vehicle!

Legitimate companies will not come knocking on your door about your old car to offer you an unrealistic price. If you have any have any doubts always take all company details down, including the registration number of visiting vehicle, and once again, ask to see their valid Waste Carrier’s license.

In addition, ask your ‘visitors’ which Authorised Treatment Facility they intend to use to dispose your old vehicle and make sure that there is confirmation that it will be officially taken off the road.

Stay safe, stay legal. If you have an unwanted vehicle to get rid of contact your local Authorised Treatment Facility End of Life Centre and gain complete peace of mind.

‘What happens to Betty?’

Many of us become sentimental about our vehicles, particularly if we’ve owned them for a long time. We even give them a name and it’s as if they have a personality all of their own. Sadly, like most things on life, our cars eventually come to the end of the road having failed an MOT or they’ve simply become unreliable. It’s usually uneconomic to keep them going no matter how attached to them we are. So what happens to ‘Betty’ when it comes to recycling her many bits and pieces during the process of scrapping? Let’s find out more……

The Vehicle Dismantling Procedure

Vehicles are produced from a range of materials that can harm the environment. And there’s the issue of all the hazardous fluids they are filled with such as fuel, oil, brake fluid, radiator coolant and battery acid, not to mention the removal of potentially dangerous glass, wiring looms and the extraction of precious metals within the catalytic converter. Disregarded and potentially hazardous fluids are captured in sealed tanks to ensure that no toxic substances enter the mains drainage system. Badly worn and damaged tyres are shredded to make a range of products including mats and car bumpers.

All this material is carefully removed by fully-trained and licensed staff employed at the ATF End of Life Vehicle Centre which has to pass an exhaustive selection process and meet the strict operational criteria. Such centres must have invested in the most modern and up-to-date systems and machinery available.

Once a vehicle has been completely stripped and just the bodyshell remains, the bodyshell itself is lifted by crane into a machine called a bailer and then crushed into a metal cube which is then sold onto metal recycling specialists.

Today, cash payments for disposal vehicles are not strictly legal. Therefore, to remain within new rules, when you dispose of a vehicle through an Authorised Treatment Facility you will be paid for its scrap value by cheque or bank transfer. This is to discourage criminal activity such as metal theft, an all too common occurrence these days.

A unique permit code is then issued by the DVLA via safe online links between the ATF centre and the DVLA which then allows you to be issued with a Certificate of Destruction resolving you of any responsibility for the vehicle concerned. This will be posted on to you or the vehicle’s last registered owner after de-pollution has been completed. This also ensures that there is no chance of unroadworthy disposed vehicle returning to the road.

All Star Breakers & RSM Metals

As a long established business, All Star Breakers Ltd specialises in selling second hand recycled parts for all cars and vans, sourcing its products such as lights, mirrors, panels, wheels, engines, gearboxes, indeed anything safe to recycle through ‘End of Life Vehicles’.

The DVLA have a duty to take great care when selecting companies to operate Authorised Treatment Centres, and RSM Metals holds a Carrier’s Licence in order to remove your old unwanted vehicle safely and legally.

End of Life vehicles are dismantled by RSM Metals, the Authorised Treatment Centre adjacent to All Star Breakers premises on Rough hay Road, Grimsargh, Preston. Fully licensed by both DEFRA and the DVLA, RSM Metals then carries out the de-pollution process which finishes with the ‘bailing’ of the scrap metal which is then boxed up and taken to the docks to be exported to metal recycling companies for fragmentation. Once processed, these scrap metals are used during the manufacturing of all kinds of products, including new cars! Some fragmented metal is also used as ballast and hull internal lining material onboard ships.

Once stripped of anything useful, any safe and useful parts from scrap vehicles are then passed on to All Star Breakers which has enjoyed a close working relationship with RSM Metals for many years.

All vehicle parts offered by All Star Breakers are covered by a reassuring warranty and prices are extremely competitive. For instance, a Land Rover Freelander (high and low gear ratios) transfer box can cost up to £1,500 when sourced through a main dealer. Go to All Star Breakers and it’s possible to obtain a recycled unit from as low a price as £400. So why go to a main dealer when you can breathe new life into your vehicle through contacting All Star Breakers. You’ll find them at Unit 21, Rough hay Industrial Estate, Rough hay Road, Grimsargh, Preston PR2 5AR. Call (01772) 700607.