Program objectives

The objectives of the program are:

To convey the legal and mandatory requirements before, during, and after the recycling process and promote best management practices within the industry;
To promote pollution prevention and the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) in the vehicle recovery industry to reduce the environmental impact of the automotive sector; and
To ensure that there is a consistent set of practices that are aligned with Federal, State, and Municipal laws, as well as with relevant product and industry stewardship programs.

The A-CAR program will help auto recyclers understand and comply with their regulatory obligations, and also adopt best management practices that will help improve their efficiency and profitability.

ENVIRONMENT VS. PROFITABILITY

There is a myth that protection of the environment costs money and jobs. This is an old myth and in fact the opposite is true.

Clean automotive recyclers have the lowest liability with respect to soil contamination, they are more efficient, they retain good workers, they have lower accident records and above all, they are more profitable.

They use the Certification program as a tool to reduce liability and improve efficiency and profitability.

The annual cost to a business (exclusive of auditor travel time and expenses) is $450 (ex GST) per year.

This is made up of:

Cost of program membership including annual online self-audit;
Cost of Independent physical audit (once in 3 years);
Costs of business signage and program marketing.

Independent physical audits take place at the end of Year 1 and then every third year. An online self-audit is conducted by the business in each of the two the intervening years.