Britain's Dumped Car Problem to Escalate

WARRINGTON, England, February 16 -- New rules imposing stringent standards on vehicle recyclers and making the last owner responsible for costs could make Britain's abandoned car problem much worse, according to the latest research by European Metal Recycling.

European rules on the disposal of defunct vehicles, expected to be enforced in the United Kingdom this year, will require dismantlers and recyclers to invest in specialist equipment to drain the fluids from vehicles, remove specified parts and ensure the last owner receives a certificate of destruction.

In a statement released last week, the Department of Trade and Industry predicted a 50% decline in the number of facilities continuing to take vehicles and properly equipped to meet the new standards - from 4,000 to 1,750 outlets - suggesting the last owner may have to travel further to dispose of a car.

The Department also indicated that consumers needing to dispose of old cars over the next three years may be expected to pay up to GBP30 to meet the new treatment standards and believes it would not be unreasonable for people to travel up to 10 miles in the future.

Graeme Carus, director of business development at European Metal Recycling, said: "Operators meeting the requirements of the legislation have no choice but to look to the last owner to pay, or at least contribute toward, the costs of disposal. It's clear we need to be paid for the service and treatment standards must be properly enforced."

He also pointed to the findings of a recent MORI survey, in which 24% of respondents from lower income households - the segment of the population most likely to own defunct vehicles - indicated that they were not prepared to pay the costs of disposal.

The research also revealed a widespread concern among the British public that the new laws may lead to more abandoned vehicles. Given a conservative estimate that a GBP20 charge may be levied, a significant 74% of respondents thought more vehicles would be abandoned, with 40% predicting a major increase in the number of vehicles littering Britain's streets.

Notes to Editors:

1. The End-of-Life Vehicles Directive came into force in Europe on October 21, 2000 and European member states were required to implement the rules by April 21, 2002. There were widespread delays across Europe and the UK government only started to bring the requirements of the directive into domestic law in November 2003.

2. The Government has decided the last owners of a vehicle will be responsible for disposal costs until January 2007, when the motor manufacturers are expected to pick up costs, and has promised local authorities extra funding to manage any increase in abandoned vehicles. The latest official estimates indicate up to 350,000 vehicles are currently abandoned in the UK each year.

3. European Metal Recycling Ltd, or EMR, is one of the largest recycling companies in the world, and the largest in the UK. The company operates a national network of 60 recycling facilities, handling over 1.1 million vehicles a year sourced from local authorities, scrap merchants and car dismantlers.

4. The MORI research, commissioned by European Metal Recycling, was based on a quota sample of 1,573 adults, aged 15+ who have a car/light van in the household, across Great Britain. Interviews were conducted face-to-face and in the home, between 4 and 11 December, 2003. The results are based on respondents stating an answer to each question (i.e. excluding those who said they didn't know) and the data have been weighted to reflect the national profile.

5. The reference to lower-income households means households with up to GBP17,499 income per year.