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9^th October 2003 (Source: DTI )

New rules to improve the way in which old vehicles are disposed of are introduced today. The End of Life Vehicle (ELV) regulations set out environmental standards for the treatment and scrapping of old cars and vans, encouraging their reuse and recycling.

The regulations, laid in Parliament today and due to come into effect on 3 November, outline how authorised handlers should dismantle, recycle and dispose of vehicle materials. In time, all fluids will need to be removed, and certain parts dismantled before scrapping. They also include provisions on vehicle manufacturers when designing cars. These include:

• restricting the use of certain heavy metals in the construction of new vehicles; and
• providing information on the materials used in a vehicle to aid in their reuse, recycling and disposal.

Stephen Timms, Trade Minister, said: "These new regulations are part of our strategy to improve the UK environment.

"Old cars and other vehicles produce a lot of waste material and we need to find new ways of encouraging their reuse and recycling. The new environmental standards are the first step in modernising our approach to dealing with this waste, which is around 2 million tonnes each year."

The Government will be consulting in the near future on how vehicle manufacturers and importers will take responsibility for providing free take- back for all ELVs from 2007 and achieving associated recycling targets.

The regulations will introduce the licensing of authorised sites for treating ELVs. Authorised Treatment Facilities handling end of life vehicles will also be issue certificates of destruction to vehicle owners to demonstrate that will serve as evidence that a car or van has been properly disposed of.

Vehicle manufacturers and importers will also have the responsibility of bearing the cost of taking back vehicles that have no value that were put onto the market after July 2002. Proposals for manufacturers to bear the cost of taking back all end of life vehicles from 2007 will be the subject of a consultation later in the year.

Notes for editors

1. The End of Life Vehicle Regulations 2003 were laid in Parliament today 9 October, and will come into effect on 3 November 2003. The regulations can be found at www.dti.gov.uk/sustainability 

2. The End of Life Vehicles (ELV) Directive (2000/53/EC) came into force on 21 October 2000.

The Directive aims to reduce the amount of waste from vehicles (cars and vans) when they are finally scrapped. In particular it:

• requires Member States to ensure that ELVs can only be scrapped ('treated') by authorised dismantlers or shredders, who must meet tightened environmental treatment standards;
• states that last-owners must be able to dispose of their vehicles free of charge from January 2007 (and with immediate effect for vehicles first put on the market from July 2002, if they have no value when scrapped);
• requires producers (vehicle manufacturers or importers) to pay 'all or a significant part' of the costs of takeback and treatment from January 2007.
• sets rising reuse, recycling and recovery targets that must be met by economic operators by January 2006 and 2015; and
• restricts the use of heavy metals (lead, cadmium, mercury and hexavalent chromium) in new vehicles

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