Whoops—'Cash for Clunkers' Actually Hurt the Environment
Takepart.com – Thu, Jan 3, 2013
Back in 2009, President Obama’s “Cash for Clunkers”
program was supposed to be a boon for the environment and the economy.
During a limited time, consumers could trade in an old gas-guzzling used
car for up to $4,500 cash back towards the purchase of a fuel-efficient
new car. It seemed like a win for everyone: the environment, the gasping auto industry and cash-strapped consumers.
Though almost a million people
poured into car dealerships eager to exchange their old jalopies for
something shiny and new, recent reports indicate the entire program may
have actually hurt the environment far more than it helped.
According to E Magazine,
the “Clunkers” program, which is officially known as the Car Allowance
Rebates System (CARS), produced tons of unnecessary waste while doing
little to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
The program's first mistake seems
to have been its focus on car shredding, instead of car recycling. With
690,000 vehicles traded in, that's a pretty big mistake.
According to the Automotive Recyclers Association
(ARA), automobiles are almost completely recyclable, down to their
engine oil and brake fluid. But many of the “Cash for Clunkers” cars
were never sent to recycling facilities. The agency reports that the
cars’ engines were instead destroyed by federal mandate, in order to
prevent dealers from illicitly reselling the vehicles later.
The remaining parts of each car
could then be put up for auction, but program guidelines also required
that after 180 days, no matter how much of the car was left, the parts
woud be sent to a junkyard and shredded.
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