May 3, 2006. Recycleyourcar.co.uk. Public unaware of recycling laws and what we do with dead cars In worrying figures released today, more than 90% of car drivers questioned had not heard of legislation introduced last year to encourage car recycling. Of those that had, almost half were over 55, according to a survey by recycleyourcar.co.uk. The End of Life Vehicles Directive (ELV) came into force, fully, in the UK in March 2005 and states that ELVs can only be processed by Authorised Treatment Facilities (ATFs).

Evidence of public ignorance about the amount of waste the UK puts into landfill was highlighted by the fact that 65% of respondents think that we dispose of less than a million vehicles every year, when the real figure is over two million. However, some reassurance came from the fact that 66% of people think that we should recycle cars because it's good for the environment.

The survey was conducted to coincide with the launch of the reycycleyourcar.co.uk initiative, designed to help drivers find their nearest Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF).

The poll also highlighted some interesting anomalies between the sexes. Men were three times more likely than women to know how many cars the UK disposed of. And the regions also saw differences of opinion - those from the South West were twice as likely as anyone else to know that an Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF) was the best place to dispose of a vehicle.

The research also highlighted more light-hearted matters, revealing that 67% of drivers would like to see people who tailgate' recycled, while almost half of those questioned, 46%, wanted to see middle lane drivers recycled and turned into something useful.

In addition, 58% wanted to see MOT failures destroyed, while 35% of drivers over the age of 55 wanted to see all 4 x 4's crushed. Elsewhere, people in the East were almost ten times more likely to want to see an end to flash supercars than people in the South.

Recycleyourcar.co.uk's Derek Campbell, is not surprised by results of the survey: "Despite the fact that the ELV Directive is now in place, ignorance of its existence and objectives is worrying. If we as a society are going to catch up with the rest of Europe in terms of maximising our vehicle recycling infrastructure, it is vital that the consumer is able to see the benefits to the environment of utilising Authorised Treatment Facilities."