Mainstream “Green” and Auto Recyclers

Darin McClure of Mid-Atlantic Associates, Inc.

 What is mainstream “green”?  Often referred to as sustainability, it encompasses, in part, the responsible use of natural resources.    In the last 45 years, EPA estimates that the amount of waste each person generates has increased from 2.7 to 4.6 pounds per day.  Waste is generated throughout the life-cycle of a product, from the extraction of raw materials until it is ready to be thrown away.

     Some of the common themes that you hear when speaking “green” are reduce, reuse and recycle.  Each of these concepts has been practiced for years in the auto recycling industry. Reduction is any change in the design, manufacture, purchase or use of materials or products to reduce the amount of toxicity before they become municipal solid waste.  Reuse of items delays an items entry into the waste stream.  Recycling turns materials that would be disposed as waste into valuable resources.  By reducing the need for new products through reuse and recycling, we reduce the amount of waste generated and natural resources needed to bring the replacement product to market and ultimately to disposal.  Do any of these themes sound familiar?  These are the exact principals that the auto recycling industry has been working under since inception.

     What are some of the benefits of being mainstream “green”?  Mainstream sustainability is typically divided into three aspects; environmental, social and economic.   Environmental benefits of sustainability include the reduction of global warming, less pollution, less waste and preservation of natural resources and habitat.  Social benefits include employee satisfaction, improved overall well-being and an improved overall community.  Economic benefits include job creation, increased competitiveness, and positive public relations.  These benefits accrue locally as well as globally. 

     So how does an industry that has been a pioneer in the green movement improve?  We’ve got a couple of ideas.  One area is fluid management.  The release of a small amount of vehicle fluids in the environment can have detrimental impacts to soil, groundwater, surface water and the local habitat (wildlife).  Proper fluid management can avoid the costly and time-consuming process of cleaning up contaminated media in response to regulatory enforcement actions or purchaser requirements during a sale of your property.  Contamination, or even the perception of contamination, can cause the value of your property to be reduced during a transaction or even cause a transaction to fall through.  Although the industry has come a long way in this area, there is still room for improvement.

     A second area is the erosion of soil surfaces into local wetlands, watersheds and water bodies.  Many automobile recycling facilities are located on tracts of land that consist primarily of dirt or gravel surfaces.  As storm water runs across these surfaces, it picks up sediment and fines and deposits them off site.  These sediments can cloud streams, blind stream bottoms, alter their natural flow, and adversely impact the wildlife.  Proper erosion control mechanisms, both active and passive, should be implemented and maintained to help reduce these impacts.

     Another area of potential improvement in the green movement is the recycling/reuse of scrap tires.  The EPA estimates that approximately 290-million scrap tires are generated every year.  Currently, many of these tires are disposed of in local landfills.  The EPA’s Scrap Tire Workgroup has established five committees to work on various issues related to scrap tire management.  Some of the uses explored by this group include turning tires into alternative fuels and tire-derived aggregate.  Rubberized asphalt has been shown to be a more safe, durable and quiet alternative for road construction.  Scrap tire rubber can also be ground or shredded and used as playground mulch, landscape bedding and sports surfaces.

     Increasingly businesses want to conduct business with others that are green.  Municipalities are implementing sustainable initiatives.  The sustainability movement is here to stay.  The automotive recycling industry has been a pioneer in this area.  Continue to look for ways to improve and promote your “greenness”.  Storm water compliance is not hard to achieve with the right team on board.  Compliance will pay dividends now and in the future.   

Visit www.MAAonline.com or call 1.800.486.7568 for more valuable environmental information and solutions from Mid-Atlantic Associates, Inc.  Mid-Atlantic Associates is a full-service engineering and environmental consulting firm centrally located in Raleigh, North Carolina.  The Mid-Atlantic team assists the automotive industry with storm water services, environmental compliance, property transaction due diligence and environmental remediation.

Also check out the Mid-Atlantic article in the Fall Carolina Auto Recyclers (CAR) Newsletter at www.carolinaautorecyclers.com.