CONSUMER DESK: The old banger rusting away at the back of the field has long been a feature of Irish life, both urban and rural. However, as we become more aware of our environment, car scrappage has moved up our list of concerns. Hence the Government scrappage scheme to get old cars off the road.
According to the Society of Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) and the Revenue Commissioners, about 64,000 people availed of the scrappage scheme which ran from July 1995 and December 1997.
However, while companies such as Ford and many motor dealers are offering scrap deals on old cars, what is the situation for undriveable cars - those bangers and chicken coups at the back of the house?
Martin Daly, an Abandoned Car Officer for Dublin City Council, says: "In the year 2001 we disposed of 3,150 vehicles. We spend about €300,000 a year in disposing of abandoned cars. While we can't specify exactly why most cars are dumped I believe we can assume that the cars are no longer financially viable and would cost more to fix that they are worth.
"When we find an abandoned car we take it straight to Hammond Lane and it's usually fragmented within about two hours of us collecting it." The recent EU directive on the Disposal of End of Life Vehicles (ELVs) will shortly come into effect in Ireland, (being phased in by 2007), with the Department of the Environment bringing into force the legislative and administration provisions needed to comply with the Directive.
Over the last year discussions have been held with the Department and other relevant parties with a view to putting in place the most appropriate 'end of life vehicles' system for Ireland.
The parties involved - SIMI, dismantlers and shredders together with the Department of the Environment - appointed independent consultants KPMG to explore the options of establishing a company to effectively dispose of end of life vehicles.
One of their first tasks will be to estimate a suitable levy, likely to be €150. It will probably apply to first registration of new and used cars in Ireland from the start of next year. It is still unclear whether the levy will be subject to VAT.
A recent report in Business News reveals how Britain has warned of a 'car dumping epidemic'.
According to the report British authorities have warned that car dumping may reach epidemic proportions this year. The warning comes after a new EU Hazardous Waste regulation reclassifies up to two million vehicles each year as hazardous waste. The new regulation will oblige Britain to tighten its own waste laws to bring it into line with the directive.
As these decrepit cars must be treated as hazardous waste and therfore dismantled and de-polluted in specially equipped treatment centres, the cost of scrapping a car is likely to rise considerably. It is this increase in cost that leads to fears in Britain of more and more cars simply being abandoned.
However, the problem should be lessened by 2007, when the cost for dismantling end of life vehicles will become the responsibility of manufacturers. But will we be able to avoid such a 'car dumping epidemic' in this country?
THE Department of the Environment explains that the EU Directive on end of life vehicles, when implemented, will ensure that the last owners of cars will be entitled to leave their vehicle back to an authorised treatment centre (ie car dismantler) at no cost to the owner. The Directive also requires the issuing of Certificates of Destruction for end of life vehicles.
Implementation of the Directive is expected to discourage owners of such vehicles from abandoning them. Detailed regulations will also be made to support a producer responsibility initiative. It is hoped the Directive will facilitate the development of a modern efficient and sustainable vehicle dismantling, treatment and shredding sector and it is likely that its full implementation will take place in Ireland in advance of most other Member States.
There is also the issue of disposing of old tyres. A report in the Irish Motor Industry News last year claimed the Irish tyre industry is shortly to submit a proposal to the Department of the Environment outlining a national system for the disposal of waste tyres. This is in response to an EU directive due to come into force next year requiring tyre producers to take responsibility for the correct processing of waste tyres.
Jack Farrell, chief executive of the ITIA says this: "The proposal will place an organised discipline on the way waste tyres are disposed of. In the past used tyres were usually supplied to farmers who used them to cover silage. This supply has almost reached saturation point and is no longer a reasonable option. Another option has been to dispose of them in landfill but under the new directive this will be banned for whole tyres from 2002 and for shredded tyres from 2006."
The most likely option is to place an environmental charge at the point of purchase, to be shown as a separate charge on the sales docket. Recycling is another part of the solution; tyres can be used for remoulds, or if not suitable, can be shredded for use in roads, matting, and other rubber products. Or they can be used in incineration for energy generation. The ITA will be running an information campaign to let consumers and retailers know of their new responsibilities.