A STREET AUTO HOME PAGE | AUTOMOTIVE SHOP | COLLISION SHOP | MAKE AN APPOINTMENT
CHECKLISTS | TECH TIPS | TRAVEL TIPS | ABOUT A STREET | HOT LINKS | NEWSLETTERS | E-MAIL tech@astauto.com

AUTOMOTIVE & COLLISION

3445 Main, Springfield, Oregon 97478 Phone (541) 726-8453 Fax (541) 746-7085

     COLLISION-BODY-PAINT SHOP

PLASTIC PLAGUE

The biggest setback to trying to recycle automotive plastic
is that there are so many different kinds



For several years now we at A Street Automotive & Collision have been searching for a way to recycle and reuse automotive plastic bumpers and other automotive plastic waste. So far we have not found a satisfactory avenue for this but we are actively continuing our search. There are a small percentage of lightly damaged plastic body parts that are being repaired and sold as remanufactured body parts.

Unofficially this probably accounts for less than five percent of all discarded plastic parts. Through the Internet we have found several leads but nothing firm yet. The biggest setback to trying to recycle automotive plastic is that there are so many different kinds to deal with and most pieces are painted. Most recycling processes entail sorting the plastic into like kinds. The paint poses another hurdle because it becomes an impurity that must be removed.

According to Market Reasearch.com, (a plastics web site) the world polyurethane (plastic) market grew 11% between 1998 and 2000 and is expected to rise to 8.8 million tons by 2005. The USA is the largest consumer of polyurethanes, accounting for 34% of the world. As you probably know, plastic is made from natural resources which are not renewable. As responsible human beings we must take every avenue to recycle or reuse all of our resources.

Leaving our children with a healthy planet should always be on the top of our list. As the world leader in plastics and industry, the USA should strive to standardize a recyclable type of plastic on all newly manufactured automobiles and find a viable use for the incredible amount of automotive plastic that is currently going into our land fills.
We welcome your feedback on these features.
You can e-mail us at tech@astauto.com or contact us any of the old fashioned ways.

A STREET AUTO HOME PAGE | AUTOMOTIVE SHOP | COLLISION SHOP | MAKE AN APPOINTMENT
CHECKLISTS | TECH TIPS | TRAVEL TIPS | ABOUT A STREET | HOT LINKS | NEWSLETTERS | E-MAIL tech@astauto.com
Page design by Pacific Video & Internet, Eugene, Oregon. Send comments to webmaster@thinkvideo.com.
©Copyright 2004 A Street Automotive & Collision. All Rights Reserved.