Previous Page
INDUSTRY IMPACT
In the case for automotive recycling, it is hard to deny science. Researchers at the Worchester Polytechnic Institute partner with the
Automotive Recyclers of Massachusetts to study the positive environmental impact and sustainability of industry. The findings are no surprise.
ECO I
POWER By Michael Cohen
n the fall of 2017, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) released the results of a study they conducted, called “Assessing the Environmental Impact of Automotive Recyclers of Massachusetts (ARM).” This study is an excellent example of how the ARM partnered with a state educational institution to create the study that validates the entire industry on an environmental level. This study can now be used in legislative, regulatory and lawmaking decisions in the state and as a model for other inspired case studies.
The goals of this study were to understand how much material is recovered, reused, and recycled and how these activities impact the state’s carbon footprint. The report includes the understanding of how envi- ronmental hazards, such as waste oil, are processed. The primary method of data collection comprised of site visits for collecting information on the number of cars processed, the type and volume of parts recov- ered and the amount of hazardous materials that are safely processed. The difference in carbon footprint between processing recycled materials and using pri- mary raw materials have been analyzed. By reclaiming auto parts for re-use, then recycling the steel and aluminum left in vehicles at the end of
42 March-April 2018 • AUTOMOTIVE RECYCLING