BMW/MINI UK Announce Automotive Recycling

From 1 January 2006 all owners of BMW, Rolls-Royce and MINI(1) vehicles (in the UK) will be entitled to free take back of their car once it has reached the end of its serviceable life. This means that owners of BMW Group vehicles, regardless of where they were bought, the age of the vehicle or whether they have been serviced outside of the BMW and MINI dealer networks, will benefit from the peace of mind that their vehicle will be subject to an environmentally sound disposal process. The process ensures that 85 per cent of the vehicle by weight will be recovered and recycled.

The service provider for the BMW Vehicle Recycling Network is autogreen. autogreen has established itself nationally as one of the leading companies in the field of vehicle dismantling and has a wide-reaching network of vehicle dismantlers. In addition, autogreen will also be able to offer a vehicle collection service to BMW Group vehicle owners.

Steve Nash, director of aftersales for BMW (UK) Ltd said, “Since the early 1990″s, the BMW Group has been involved in the recycling of cars. In fact, the BMW Group was the first car manufacturer in the world to create a vehicle recycling network. In the UK, we view our Vehicle Recycling Network as a third and equally important network within our business after the vehicle sales and repair networks. I would encourage all owners of BMW Group vehicles to use the recycling network.”

The Process:
The BMW Vehicle Recycling Network operated by autogreen, has been specifically selected in line with BMW”s policy of optimising cost efficient recycling and recovery. On accepting the vehicle the site will issue a certificate of destruction. This proves that the vehicle has been destroyed and automatically deregisters the vehicle, releasing the owner from any further tax obligations.

The next stage is for all pyrotechnics, for example airbags and seatbelt pre-tensioners, to be triggered for safety reasons, batteries will be removed, air-conditioning systems siphoned and all operating fluids drained. At this point it is key that all wastes are contained and sent for processing and recycling. Many sites within the network will then go on to selectively dismantle vehicles, identifying and removing usable parts for resale.

Finally, the remainder of the vehicle will be sent through a shredding process to recover those parts of a car that are made of recyclable materials. It is at this stage that all the metallic elements, e.g. steel, copper, aluminium, magnesium and other materials, including some plastics, will be separated for reuse within manufacturing. This is particularly beneficial as lightweight materials such as aluminium and magnesium can be recycled at a fraction of the energy cost needed to produce the product from new.

Owners of BMW Group vehicles that would like to find out more information on how to dispose of their vehicle through the BMW Group Recycling Network should contact autogreen on 0800 5422002 or visit www.autogreen.org for a full list of facilities and information.

From BMW/MINI UK Press

(1) Free vehicle take back only applies to vehicles bearing the brands BMW, MINI or Rolls- Royce and manufactured by the BMW Group. The scheme will not be offered to Mini or Rolls-Royce vehicles not produced by the BMW Group.