This article is from page 3 of the 2006-06-06 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 3 JPG
A NEW scheme which will allow drivers to scrap their cars for free has received a welcome from Clare motor dealers.
The new legislation, which will come into force in January of next year, will take the onus off owners and dealers to foot the bill for scrappage.
And it will have the added advantage that fewer cars will be abandoned around the countryside.
Breakers will be authorized to dispose safely of any pollutants and recycles parts.
A spokeswoman for one of the county’s main car dealers said that the regulations were “very much to be welcomed. As it stands, we sometimes have to charge customers for scrapping their old cars when they buy a new one. You only have to drive into any of the multi-storey car parks around Ennis to see cars that have just been abandoned.”
The spokeswoman added that if the car has to be collected, “then owners are paying a serious amount of money. Free scrappage is definitely a good idea.”
Announcing the new regulations, Minister Dick Roche said that higher standards and a cleaner environment were just two of the benefits that would flow from the new regulations.
“Just as we have been getting rid of the fly-tipping of waste fridges and washing machines, we now want to see the last of rusting car hulks despoiling our urban and rural landscapes and posing a health and safety risk to the public. These regulations will provide a customised regulatory regime for dealing effectively with scrap cars,” said Minister Roche.
The regulations stipulate that when a car or small van reaches the end of its useful life, there will be at least one Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF) in each area where it can be brought, free of charge, to be depolluted and dismantled.
The steel, plastic, glass, tyres and other components will be recovered for recycling.
The operators of ATFs must remove all pollutants from cars as part of the recycling process. The motor industry will be required to ensure that there is an adequate network of ATFs across the country providing take-back for their brand of car.
The scheme will be regulated by the local authorities and, when a car has been scrapped, the owner will get a destruction certificate.
“The Regulations will require all waste operators – scrap yards for the most part – to reach new, higher environmental standards. It will require investment on their part,” Minister Roche said.