We’ve built a nationwide network of trusted and accredited scrap and salvage buyers, each rigorously vetted, verified, and inspected by our expert team. We understand our customers’ concerns about industry pitfalls, hidden fees, and environmental impacts. That’s why we offer you the utmost confidence, ensuring transparency, reliability, and the highest possible price—providing peace of mind every step of the way.
All of the scrap and salvage yards in our network must become Trusted buyers before we trust them with our customers! We’ve checked their credentials, prices and service to ensure everything runs smoothly for you.
Company Background Check: This means that we have looked into how long the company has been trading for, their trade references and the systems which they have in place to deal with vehicle collections.
In-depth Questionnaire: This means that we have all information regarding their company activities and the services which they provide so that we can ensure we match our customers with the most suitable buyers.
Contact Verification: This means that we have all of the relevant information about their company, such as payment methods, collection times and their site address, and various points of contact have been taken and verified so that we can always get hold of them on behalf of our users.
Licenses Checked: As an Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF), their registered number is recorded and checked along with their Waste Carriers and Scrap Metal Dealers licences.
Certified buyers are the partners we regard the highest. These buyers are our preferred providers.
95% Positive Feedback: This means that we have looked into the reviews left by their customers and followed up on any negative feedback to see if the issue was followed up upon and resolved, and whether any actions were put in place to prevent recurrence.
Site Visited and Inspection Made: All certified buyers have been visited by a member of the Scrap Car Comparison team on their site to check that correct practices are followed regarding payments and customer contact.
Service Level Agreements: This means that each of our certified buyers have had their collections monitored for 6 months to ensure that they adhere to the targets and customer response times set out in our initial agreement.
Scrap yards and ATFs explained
An ATF, or Authorised Treatment Facility, is a government approved scrap yard that follows a specific set of rules and regulations in relation to the dismantling and disposal of scrap cars. Any car scrap yard, breaker’s yard or vehicle dismantler who has proven they follow strict rules set out by the Environmental Agency (EA) when it comes to end-of-life vehicles (ELVs).
We only work with government approved ATFs, giving you better protection and more certainty when scrapping your car.
What Guidelines do ATFs Have to Follow?
The guidelines set by the EA ensures all ATFs (scrap yards) perform correctly, allowing them to scrap cars in a responsible and legal manner. Any scrap yard that is not registered as an ATF is not allowed to depollute vehicles.
These guidelines can easily be broken down into five distinct areas below:
- Have all correct planning permissions and permits to treat End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs), including a scrap metal dealer’s licence and environmental permit
- Be able to depollute or expertly dispose of any hazardous waste from vehicles
- Supply Certificate of Destruction documents through the DVLA system to prove that the owner’s responsibility for the car has finished
- Safely handle and store car parts
- Meet recycling and recovery targets according to government regulations
What Happens to Your Car at an ATF?
Once your car has been collected it will be taken to an ATF, where the car will go through a few procedures before it is finally destroyed.
Depollution
The very first thing that happens is for your car to go through the depollution process, which sees all hazardous materials and parts removed from the vehicle. This will consist of elements including the fuel, battery, catalytic converter, the petrol tank and any liquids still in the car such as oil, brake fluid, antifreeze and coolant. These are removed first so that the Authorised Treatment Facility can be sure that there’s no risk to humans, animals or the environment during the remainder of the scrapping process.
They will also carefully remove anything potentially explosive – like the airbag – and the engine and exhaust systems will be disconnected. Any part of the vehicle that housed fluids will be flushed through with water, ensuring they are completely clean before moving on.
Dismantlement
Following the depollution process, the vehicle will now be completely cleared of any hazardous materials and dismantling can begin, working its way through the engine, undercarriage and main body of the car.
A number of elements removed during this process will be able to be reused or recycled elsewhere, such as the following:
- Tyres: Just because they’re no longer rolling along doesn’t mean tyres are now useless. Tyres can have a number of new uses, often being used as garden planters, or in children’s playgrounds. They have also been repurposed into flooring for football pitches.
- Glass windows: Glass is one of the most versatile substances around, and your old windscreen could well end up, once it’s been melted down, as a new bottle, jar or vase. Broken glass can even be turned into ornaments or mosaics.
- Dashboard plastics: Much like the plastics you can recycle at home, the plastic from your dashboard, and anywhere else in the car for that matter, will get repurposed into any number of items, including garden furniture or rubbish bins.
- Leather interiors: If you’d paid the extra for the leather trim in your car, fear not, as it won’t be going to waste when it heads to the scrap yard. Any leather from the car will get reused and could very well be on a belt or handbag you buy in future.
There are a wide range of recyclable options in cars, for a detailed explanation of how cars can be recycled.
Destruction
Once the car has been stripped of its usable elements, it will be left with just the frame, and – the most satisfying part of the process – crushing can begin. Once it has been crushed, the final metals will be separated at a metal mill. The metals on a car have a thin layer of tin for protection, this will be removed and the steel will be melted down to be used again for a wide range of items – including the production of brand new cars, so you can think of your car simply as a phoenix waiting to rise up from the ashes as someone drives their new car off the forecourt.
All these steps, however, will take place long after your involvement has ended. Once the car has been taken from you and you have received your payment, you can rest easy knowing your old car is being recycled and repurposed in the best possible way. All you have to do is figure out how you’re going to spend the money you’ve just been given.
