From Guest Blogger Jason Giroux: Environmental Benefits of Recycling Cars

Donating an unwanted car to charity is a fantastic way to benefit the environment. In addition to the environmental benefits of charitable car donation, you are simultaneously helping local charities and receiving a tax write off. The way it works is that a local non-profit car donation center such as Wheels for Wishes will arrange to have your unwanted vehicle (running or not) picked up at no cost to you, recycled, and then donate the proceeds to a local charity.

Every single part of an automobile can be recycled, refurbished, or reused, but most important is the steel. The reason that recycling steel is so important, to put it plainly, is because steel is very expensive and energy consuming to produce. According to a report from the Environmental Protection Agency the amount of energy conserved by using recycled steel is approximately 74%, this equals enough energy saved to power over 18 million households for a full year. Steel never loses its original integrity and can be reused indefinitely which makes recycling steel very practical.

There are of number environmental benefits to recycling steel. First and perhaps most noteworthy is that using recycled steel decreases the need to mine for steel which leads to huge scars on the landscape. Other downfalls of steel mining include the likelihood of releasing sediment and metal contamination into local lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water. Mining also leads to a decline in local wildlife and plant populations and can lead to irreversible soil erosion. Another pitfall of steel mining is that it has the potential to greatly decrease the air quality by introducing particulate matter into the air which can lead to numerous health problems.

Many reports suggest that the amount of steel that is currently being recycled and reused is quite high, but there are still many more tons of steel waiting in the unwanted and abandoned vehicles in our driveways, garages, and backyards. If you happen to be the owner of one of these unwanted autos, the car donation process is very simple and offers you an opportunity to help the environment while contributing to a local charity.