What To Do With Old Car Parts
What can you do with car parts? There are a few great options! Old or unwanted car parts practically fall into their own category of waste. Here’s a guide on what you can do with your old car parts:
Recycle Your Old Car Parts
You may ask yourself, “Where can I throw away old car parts?” A better question would be where you can recycle them! Most old cars have over a 90 percent recycling rate. That means most of the parts are recyclable!
The most common recycled car parts include:
- Batteries
- Metal (Steel and Iron)
- Tires
- Windshields
- Wheels
- Transmissions
- Rubber hoses
- Radiators
- Mats
- Belts
- Oil filters
- Carpets
About 80 percent of old tires can be recycled. Recycled tires are often used to make pavement bases for new roads. Old batteries can be recycled to make new ones. Recycled metal and glass from cars are used to make a wide variety of new products.
Recycling your old car parts greatly benefits the environment. Recycling 2,000 pounds of glass saves 10 gallons of oil for new glass production. Metal can be recycled repeatedly without losing quality. Metal mining and production uses much more energy than making new products from recycled metals. Those are just a couple examples!
To recycle your car parts, call ahead to your local recycling plant. Ask to make sure they’ll accept your items.
Upcycle Old Car Parts Into New Creations
The upcycling possibilities for your old car parts are endless! Upcycling is using product waste to make something more valuable than the original. You can make artistic creations or practical items from your old car parts.
Here is just a small list of things you can make from old car parts:
- Use your Jeep Wrangler grill to make the back of a chair. The shocks can be the legs!
- Make a toothbrush holder from a couple gears with a spring in between.
- Paint your old engine block and use it as a wine bottle holder.
- Weld two wheels together to make a large fire pit. Cut a hole in the front to add logs.
- Use a shock as a mail organizer.
- Your old tailgate makes for a perfect bench back.
- Wrap your hose around an old wheel.
- The art possibilities are endless with old car parts!
Donate Your Old Car
Your old car parts can be recycled individually. You can upcycle them to make art or practical items. If you’re looking to recycle a car as a whole, consider donating it to Wheels For Wishes.
Wheels For Wishes is a charity car donation program. We accept vehicle donations and give the proceeds to Make-A-Wish. This helps grant life-changing wishes to kids facing critical illness.
The vehicles themselves are recycled. We get the maximum value out of them to give to Make-A-Wish. Plus, you get a great tax deduction when you donate! On top of all that, we come to you with free towing, and the process is easy.
To donate today, simply call 1-855-278-9474 or fill out an online donation form. What to do with old car parts? Donating your car to Wheels For Wishes can get the most value!