The recycled auto parts industry plays a crucial and necessary role in the ecological disposal of motor vehicles which are no longer operable. Automobile salvage dealers are professional automotive parts recyclers, who collectively earn $22 billion in annual sales. Auto salvage dealers have been around since the beginning of motorized travel, and over the years have developed a process for disassembling salvaged automobiles to reclaim usable components and parts. For over seventy-five years automotive recyclers have been on the forefront of environmental conservation, reducing the demand for landfill space, preserving natural resources, and protecting the environment from contamination. Approximately 95% of vehicles which have been retired from use are recycled, which saves about 85,000,000 barrels of oil that otherwise would have gone into manufacturing new or replacement parts. Further resource and energy conservation is achieved by recycling rebuilt core parts, such as engine blocks and transmissions, to the automotive parts industry.

Besides conserving natural resources, the automotive recycling industry plays a key role in reducing water and air pollution, as well as solid waste generation. Auto recyclers must fulfill stringent national and local regulations on handling the waste generated by salvaging used automotive body parts. Gasoline, motor oil, and diesel fuels contain petroleum hydrocarbons which are quite toxic to aquatic life, as well as being carcinogenic. They can be carried by rainwater into surface waters and contaminate local groundwater. Heavy metals such as lead, chromium, cadmium, copper, zinc, arsenic, mercury, and aluminum are also toxic for aquatic life, and can bio-accumulate in fish. Acids from batteries, degreasers, and solvents can contaminate soil chemistry as well as water, creating toxic conditions for humans as well as animals. The operations at automotive salvage yards are well-controlled to reduce the risk of releasing contaminants into the environment. Besides the governmental regulations, many individual auto recyclers have instituted their own management programs to reduce the potentially harmful effects of automobile recycling byproducts even further.

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