Scarborough, Ontario — A Toronto-area auto recycler has received some mainstream attention for his calls to automakers to develop recycling procedures that properly account for non-metal waste, which often winds up in a landfill.
In a story published to the Toronto Star last Friday, president of Scarborough’s Standard Auto Wreckers, and known quantity to Canadian Auto Recycler readers, David Gold spoke on how, much like with the aftermarket’s Right to Repair movement, Canada’s auto recycling sector needs a framework in place to allow dismantlers to be able to do their jobs as thoroughly and sustainably as possible.
“Plastics, fabrics, foams are all shredder ‘fluff’ that is bound for landfill because the economics of it doesn’t make sense,” said Gold, who said he wants to see automakers engage with recyclers to advise on how best to deal with end-of-life vehicles.
“They don’t provide any information on dismantling their vehicles,” he said. “We’re working on a Right to Repair Act. Maybe it’s time for a Right to Recycle Act, as well.”
A report from Environment and Climate Change Canada found that only 35 percent of end-of-life vehicles are properly dismantled and recycled, while the rest usually end up in the hands of metal shredders, whose job it is not to separate metal from non-metal materials, or on ships to foreign markets.
Stellantis is one major OEM who has committed to a “circular economy” plan that will see the generation of $2.6 billion in savings as it reintegrates production scraps and end-of-life vehicles back into the production process.
