Disposing old vehicles

An end-of-life vehicle (or ELV) is a car or light commercial vehicle which is to be disposed of by the registered owner (in other words, a car or small van which is to be scrapped). Owners of intact end-of-life cars and vans must deposit such vehicles at an appropriately permitted or licensed authorised treatment facility (ATF). An authorised treatment facility may not charge for accepting an end-of-life vehicle. When one of these vehicles is deposited at an authorised treatment facility, the owner will receive a certificate of destruction.

The disposal of end-of-life vehicles is controlled because they can pose a threat to the environment. This is largely because of the hazardous materials contained in end-of-life vehicles. These include, for example, lead acid batteries, fluids including lubricating oil, coolant, brake fluid, and catalytic convertors, all of which must be disposed of safely in order to prevent pollution.(as amended) sets out specific measures to be put in place by Member States concerning the collection, storage, treatment, dismantling, reuse and recycling of end-of-life vehicle.

An end-of-life vehicle is a specified vehicle, such as a car, which is discarded or is to be discarded by its registered owner as waste. Vehicles normally reach the end of their useful lives, either due to age (typically around 12-14 years), or because of heavy damage following an accident. There is no fixed age, therefore, at which a vehicle can be considered an end-of-life vehicle.

An end-of-life vehicle must be deposited at an authorised treatment facility. Each vehicle manufacturer or importer is required to have a national collection system in place made up of at least one such treatment facility in every city and council area. These facilities provide a free take-back service for vehicles of that producer’s brand. There may also be an independent facility in your area that will accept your end-of-life vehicle.

If an end-of-life vehicle is deposited at an unauthorised facility, the owner will not receive a certificate of destruction and may remain recorded as registered owner of the vehicle on the Department of Transport, Tourism andSport’s National Vehicle File.