You might think that scrapping your car would be an incredibly easy thing to do, but the reality is that there are a lot of potentially hazardous waste materials which need to be dealt with appropriately. That is why it is often better to take your broken-down old car to the professionals who deal with scrapping cars on a day-to-day basis, as they will be able to dispose of these materials in a safe and responsible manner, rather than trying to do it yourself. You certainly don't want to do anything which could damage the environment and end up getting you into trouble with the authorities.
There are a great many car parts that contribute to manufacturing a car and some of these components in scrap cars cannot be disposed in the normal way. So these materials will need to be recycled by an Authorised Treatment Facility that has a permit from the Environment Agency commonly referred to as an ATF permit. This will undoubtedly give peace of mind to people who scrap their car with a genuine car breaker. In this context they can be assured that any dangerous substances are removed and disposed of in line with the prevailing rules and regulations.
In the UK all scrap cars must be given a certificate that proves it has been destroyed by an authorised car scrap dealer who holds the ATF permit issued by the government's Environment Agency. ATF means Authorised Treatment Facility and the permit enables licensed car breakers to recycle a scrap car in line with UK environmental laws and procedures.
These robust environment agency rules and regulations are structured to ensure that car breakers yards are focused on the eco friendly aspects of car scrapping. Authorised Treatment facilities or obliged to have in place purpose build premises, specialist equipment and safe procedures in place for draining hazardous waste fluids so they do not contaminate the environment.
Failing to take the appropriate steps to safeguard the environment could lead to a scrap yard dealer being taken to court. However, there are still those who prefer to operate outside the law and so it is important for you to be vigilant when choosing where to have your car scrapped.
If you decide not to use an ATF, your old car could end up being disposed of in an environmentally-harmful way. Also if you do not have the appropriate documentation to prove you your car was destroyed properly, you could find yourself in trouble. An ATF is obliged to strip your car of hazardous materials that include oil, batteries and tyres before processing the metal car frame and recycling it. There is an expectation that as much of the car will be recycled as possible, as opposed to ending up as landfill and further contributing to society's waste problem.
It is therefore vital that your unwanted vehicle is dealt with by an Authorised Treatment Facility with a current permit issued by the government agency. You will then have complete peace of mind that your old car will be recycled in such a way that there will be no environment health risks to people and wild life. Also you will avoid the legal implications of dealing with firm that is not an official ATF permit holder.
Most licensed scrap car dealers will collect your car and pay you the full scrap cash value. More importantly an official ATF permit holder will provide you with an essential document that proves you have scrapped your car in a responsible manner. You will not need to worry about a rogue dealer who may put your old banger back on the road whereby traffic offences come through your door. This is because the DVLA are notified that your car has been scrapped by an authorised firm licensed by the government.