Unfortunately there is still a huge public misconception of the vehicle dismantling industry in relation to operations and processes. We’d like to use our website as an opportunity to demonstrate how much has changed in our industry over recent years, and how professional, best practice, vehicle dismantlers are at the forefront of environmental awareness and waste management practices. Of course some vehicle dismantlers have not moved forward and some continue to operate illegally, it is therefore important for consumers to buy wisely and give full consideration to the dismantlers they deal with. In the past there was very little requirement for vehicle dismantlers to consider the environmental impact of their existence, methods and practices. There is now a large amount of legislation that applies to our industry, and this continues to grow.

Our industry is regulated by the Environment Agency who determine whether a site may, or may not, operate. Dismantlers who do not have the consent of the Environment Agency to operate are doing so illegally. We underwent a rigorous testing and inspection process to ensure we were technically competent and that our site met with all applicable environmental legislation. We were then issued with a Waste Management License which demonstrates we are a qualified waste management operator with certified staff members who have achieved competence in waste management skills. We are also holders of a Waste Carriers License which allows us to legally transport end of life vehicles and their elements. These certificates should reassure our customers we are operating professionally and responsibly.

We are also subject to regular Environment Agency visits and audits. We treat such visits as an opportunity to build our relationship with our regulators and to work together to make improvements allowing us to be at the forefront of environmental protection and waste management.

Here is typical examples of the steps each vehicle goes through at our Dismantling Facility:
click on title to reveal examples.

When a customer brings a vehicle in for disposal, or we collect the vehicle, we always ask them to provide the V5 document as proof of ownership, together with proof of their name and address.

We will then issue them with a receipt and DVLA Certificate of Destruction.

Vehicles are then taken into our Dismantling Facility to have all fluids removed to prevent contamination of the drainage system or water table. Firstly the battery is removed before any work is performed on the vehicle. This is for safety reasons. Batteries are then tested; those in a saleable condition are stored in a designated area and re-sold. Those unsaleable are transferred to one of our fully licensed partners to recycle. The removal process for all fluids is automated and no fluids are visible at any part of this process. The fluids are all stored separately in tanks until they are removed from site by one of our fully licensed partners who recycle or dispose of the products as prescribed by regulations.

Using our industry knowledge and various internal and external reporting systems, we are aware of the most popular, sought after and saleable parts on any particular vehicle. These parts are generally the parts which are removed first, immediately following a vehicle being depolluted.

They will be tested, catalogued and photographed in most cases. They will then be stored in designated areas within our warehouses before being marketed for sale.

Vehicles are then removed to our storage area using one of our vehicle transporters and lifting equipment, as necessary. They are kept here until we are satisfied that we have recycled as much as we can from the vehicle.

We endeavor to recycle as much as possible from each vehicle. The current legislative requirement is that dismantlers should achieve an 85% recycling rate but we aim to achieve in excess of 90% year on year.

Whilst the vehicles are in our storage area they will continue to be dismantled by our team. Some items are not removed from a vehicle initially, this will either be because the item is labour intensive to remove, or because the item is not one of the most profitable or saleable items within our range. Such items will only be removed once a sale has been made. These items may have been advertised for sale or the sale may have come via a parts request from a customer. We do not believe in allowing the general public to enter our storage compound and remove parts from vehicles themselves.

Although this is an accepted practice at other yards we believe that the environment can be a dangerous one if people are not trained or experienced in this area. The only people allowed onto our storage compound are our own trained and experienced personnel, external agencies such as the Environment Agency, and any other contractors who have our permission and have received necessary safety briefings.

A final dismantling procedure is performed before a vehicle is transferred to be crushed and recycled in the scrap metal industry.

An audit of the vehicle will be undertaken and any final parts removed will be stored in our warehouses until a sale is made.

Once a vehicle has been flagged as ready for transfer, one of our 3rd party scrap metal partners comes to the site and removes batches of vehicles.

The vehicles are crushed into blocks and the scrap metal extracted for use as recycled metal.