When your car is sent for scrap, it is not all wasted—far from it, in fact. There are plenty of parts and components in the average car that an auto parts recycler will want to remove before your car is crushed for scrap metal. What are some of the more unusual ones that you might not have realised are salvageable items in the first place?

Motor Oil

You might not think about the oil in your engine's reservoir as being of any use to anyone but it is. In fact, although motor oil gets contaminated, it doesn't really wear out. Therefore, it can be filtered and made perfectly operable once more. One of the most important jobs that auto recyclers do is to prevent this valuable commodity from going to waste since it can pollute the ground if it is simply left to flow away.

Windscreens

Although, in theory, all of the glazing on your car can be recycled, it is most likely that the windscreen will end up being used again. All sorts of glass can be reprocessed but in the case of an uncracked windscreen, there is no need to reprocess it. You can simply set a windscreen to one side and wait for it to be needed by another car owner with the same model. There is an almost constant demand for them.

Car Batteries

This is an important item to take out of cars before they are crushed for their metal because leaking batteries can be harmful. However, when they are removed and stored separately, they can be reprocessed into new batteries once more. In some parts of the world, it is a legal requirement to recycle car batteries that have come to the end of their working lives to avoid them ending up in landfill sites.

Tyres

If your old car's tyres have sufficient tread on them and they have not been damaged on their sidewalls and rims, then they can be fitted to other cars and driven around on. These days, the rubber compounds from used tyres are broken down to make playing surfaces and matting. You can even find them being turned into an ingredient for new road surfaces.

Plastic Components

There is plenty of plastic in a modern car. All of this is usually stripped out to stop it contaminating the metal that will be salvaged. Plastic bumpers, dashboards, light fittings and water reservoirs can all be turned into new plastic products once they have been removed and cleaned.