By Sarah Carnvek
Old cars are known for posing health hazards and environmental damages. That's why car recycling programs have become a big trend across Europe, North America and, recently, in Israel.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection has re-launched its successful Scrappage Project that offers cash to drivers for their old heavily polluting cars and trucks.
"The re-implementation of this project will help get thousands of old cars, which are highly polluting and damaging to society's health, off the roads," Gilad Erdan (then Environmental Protection Minister ) said in a statement.
Since the first Scrappage Project in 2010, Israelis have recycled 25,000 polluting vehicles. The new project budget is NIS 28 million ($7.4 million) -- NIS 10 million more than the previous year’s, but still not enough because the ministry underestimated the public's response.
"We have a budget for about 6,000 cars per year but there are over 10,000 people willing to join the program," says Amir Zalzberg, who heads the Fuel and Transportation group at the ministry. "Unfortunately we can't afford to recycle everyone's cars, so it will be a first come, first served situation."
Zalzberg notes that the strong response to the project proves that the general Israeli society has become more environmentally aware in the past few years.
"For most people, the main reason to scrap their cars is probably the money but I'm sure they're also happy to pollute less," says Zalzberg. "Once there's an incentive though, people are happy to give their car up for scrap."
Poisonous emissions
Old cars, according to ministry data, emit 20 times more poisonous fumes into the air than do newer cars with catalytic converters. In Israel, all vehicles manufactured from 1995 on are outfitted with these emission-reducing converters.
"The main cause of air pollution in Israel's urban areas is fuel emissions," says Zalzberg. "There are many harmful pollutants that are emitted into the air from old vehicles. Carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons -- it doesn't matter their names; the important thing is that they are not good for you."
Zalzberg estimates that there are 2.8 million cars on Israel's roads. He says there are likely 30,000 vehicles that should be scrapped.
The ministry will pay owners NIS 3,000 (about $800) for an old vehicle that meets the project's requirements. "While we're not offering a lot of money, we're helping the vehicle owner do the right thing," he says.
Calling 1992 vehicles
Scrappage programs around the world first kicked off in 2008 when the global recession began. They had a dual aim of stimulating the automobile industry and saving the environment.
In several other countries it is possible to recycle cars from less than 10 years back so long as the owner’s new car has a better fuel efficiency than the older one, while in Israel the focus is on vehicles from before1992 that don’t meet the government’s current emissions standards.
"We don't have an automobile industry in Israel. So the main reason for the program in Israel is environmental," says Zalzberg. "Instead of selling the car to someone who will continue to use it and continue polluting, we give them the option to sell it to us."
The ministry takes the old cars to a scrap yard where they are dismantled. Tires are removed and sent for retreading or to pave new highways. Glass, lead, plastic, iron or metal parts are all separated and recycled in Israel. Under-the-hood fluids are safely pumped out of the cars into sealed containers. Some of the scrap yards sell the iron parts to steel manufacturers abroad.
At the end of the day, it’s a win-win for the environment: The components of the old cars are recycled, and the air is cleaner because they are off the road.