Planned obsolescence is not a phrase often heard with motoring, but modern cars in particular are built to a lifespan, so whether we’re talking about the afterlife of tyres or thinking toward a sustainable environment, we know that nearly every part of a car can be recycled in one form or another.
Of course there are companies that specialise in re-conditioned engines, which use around 90% of an original engine’s components, but then we’ve got the more esoteric uses, ranging from furniture to arty sculptures.
Recycled components
Given the fact that a minimum of 95% of each car scrapped should go through the recycling and recovery process, the UK has an impressive rate of 96.9% for 2015 (statistics take around 2 years to be made public). That’s thanks to heavy investment to make the process more streamlined and efficient.
Under normal recycling or scrapping conditions, the engine itself remains with the rest of the car and gets shredded by huge rotary hammers. A modern machine can ‘eat’ a whole car every 15 seconds: engine, interior, bodywork, electrics… everything. It then gets sorted in to the various elements that make up a car (copper, steel, aluminium, plastic, foam) and then is sorted for reuse and recycling.
Car part furniture
Surely, we’ve all seen the coffee tables, seating, wine coolers and even ashtrays made from engine components, haven’t we? Perhaps one of the most popular items of furniture for the petrolhead is a V8 coffee table that uses a glass plate mounted to a cylinder block, either with or without the use of pistons.
It’s an acquired taste, but for those of us that can appreciate a big rumbling V8 or the engineering that happens to make a V12, it’s surely a fine thing.
Kit cars
More often than not, an engine (providing it has been cared for) is the last thing that fails when a car is due to be scrapped. This leaves a quandary for the owner: scrap the engine along with the rest of the car or find a donor vehicle to have some fun with?
Whilst this may not be a perfect solution if all you’ve got is a 60 horsepower four-cylinder ‘mower’ engine, it can be an ideal solution when you have something more fun – a 200 horsepower superlight kit car will provide all the fun and adrenaline you’ll ever need. Needless to say, you have the pleasure of building it yourself!
Automobile sculpture
If you’re a budding Auguste Rodin or Michelangelo, what better way to build your portfolio than with sculpture based on car components or engine parts?
Sure, it may not quite compete with ‘The Thinker’ or ‘David’, but this is modern art, and as such, there are no rules to making it work. This is art for the modern generation - the generation that will see the end of the fossil-fuelled vehicle, a petrol and diesel ban, and the first viable eco car manufacture. What more fitting tribute could there be?
Modern age
We are living in a modern world, so gone are the days where cars are left to rot away or sent to landfill. Since the year 2000, the automotive industry has reduced its landfill waste by 90%, saving millions of tonnes of materials that can be reused or repurposed to build the next generation of cars, vehicles and personal transportation.
Recycling our household waste has become second nature, we no longer grumble at having to separate our glass, cardboard, food and metals, and our car industry (or at least the recycling industry) has gone the same way – nearly every single component used in the manufacture of a car can be recycled or reused, it just happens on a larger and more efficient scale.
The next time you need to scrap a vehicle, ask yourself if there’s another use for the components, or make some garage art – you never know, it can be your thing (and give you a little extra cash on the side), so why not give it a try?