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The European ELV directive will demand from the automotive industry an 85 % reuse and recycling quota be met by 2015. New vehicle registration requirements will force the industry to show already beginning 2005 for new vehicles how this can be done in principle. Methods for calculating the overall vehicle reuse and recycling quota will be defined and agreed within the automotive industry today. This very high reuse and recycling quota of 85 % for the complete vehicle forces the OEM and the supply industry to reach a target level for recycling of plastics, which is higher than legislation has set targets in other market sectors. All large plastic parts are assessed how and to what extent they can contribute to the target. The Instrument Panel (IP) as manufactured today is probably the most challenging part in an ELV to recycle. But new design solutions, material concepts and recycling strategies are working towards this 85 % target.

A more environmentally sound ELV disposal is presently discussed with the European Union directorates, the council of ministers and the European parliament. National plans or already existing legislation are in place in several countries like Germany. PU seating material is one of the key targets by legislators and environmental authorities for dismantling. The reason for dismantling seats is a potential recycling or recovery for the PU seating material as it is one of the large plastic parts and can be relatively easily dismantled. A general broad investigation on the ecological and economical impact of this PU material has not been done as for many other parts like the fuel tank, which are presently considered for dismantling. EU legislation in preparation is calling for a reduction in landfill from ELV's from 25% by weight today, to 5% by 2015.

Following the recovery of resalable parts through selective dismantling of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs), the remaining automobile hulks are today shredded in hammer mills to facilitate the recovery of ferrous and non-ferrous metals. Large household appliances (white goods) and other light metal scrap are often co-shredded with ELVs. The residue from this industrial operation is called automotive shredder residue (ASR) and is predominately landfillled in Europe and the United States. In the present study, several real-world samples of ASR from automobiles-only and mixed-metal shredding were carefully hand-sorted into as many as 17 separate fractions and analyzed to ascertain the distribution of heavy metals and other materials. The study emphasized the plastic and rubber fractions with an interest toward increased recovery of these materials.

Research, development, and demonstration of environmentally and economically responsible and sustainable recovery options for plastics from end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) is an active area of study. The plastics industry has been researching a variety of mechanical recycling, feedstock recycling, energy/fuel recovery, and reuse options for post-use automotive plastics. This paper reports on recent commercial experience and test programs using automotive shredder residue (ASR) containing post-use automotive plastics as an environmentally sound energy source in modern waste-to-energy plants. Commercial experience in Europe, especially Germany and Switzerland, is highlighted. A major test program cosponsored by the Association of Plastics Manufacturers in Europe (APME) and the American Plastics Council (APC) has recently demonstrated that co-firing ASR with municipal solid waste (MSW) can be carried out in compliance with strict German air emissions and ash management regulations.