Today the landscape of recycling is changing rapidly and nowhere is that more true than in the great state of Texas. The Texas Auto Recyclers Association or TARA for short is a coalition of more than 800 salvage yards that are working together to help solve the difficult problems of hazardous materials handling that are associated with in operable motor vehicles. These auto recyclers that used to be referred to as junk yards are now implementing some of the latest technologies in order to deal with these difficult and often tedious problems.
Although auto recyclers have always been in the business of dismantling vehicles for the resale of useable parts, in the past not much thought was given to where the hazardous wastes contained within automobiles finally wound up. Now it is widely known that once motor oils and transmission fluids escape the vehicle their ultimate destination is usually ground water, streams and lakes. In Texas today automotive recyclers do more than just reclaim used parts, they are active participates in the effort to ensure that Texas remains the pure rugged country that people know and love.
When considering the dangerous fluids and chemicals that are contained within vehicles, it is important to realize that not only must these materials be removed from the automobile. They must also be properly handled and disposed of. TARA is the liaison between the auto recyclers and local and federal environmental agencies. By agreeing to be actively involved in policing themselves, auto recyclers in Texas are taking the lead in encouraging salvage yards all across the country to do the same.
So important is it that some of these materials are recovered, the Environmental Protection Agency has set up a program to pay auto recyclers for their efforts in recovering these materials. The program that has been set up is specifically to ensure that one particular kind of hazardous waste is removed and disposed of properly. That material is mercury, an element that can pose tremendous health hazards when it finds its way into ground and surface water. The most significant dangers are posed to small children and pregnant women. For years, mercury was used in the switches and compartmental lights of automobiles all around the world. While the practice was halted in 2002, millions of vehicles carry the dangerous element. It is for this reason that the EPA has instituted a buyback program to encourage auto recyclers everywhere to collect the mercury containing parts, offering $3 for every switch recovered. Auto recyclers in Texas participate in this program and are working hard to ensure that the mercury contained within the vehicles they receive never has the opportunity to pollute the streams and lakes of the state of Texas.
Over 50 million dollars has been spent in Texas and elsewhere to ensure that toxic substance are properly removed and disposed. As recyclers, salvage yards in this state have assumed the responsibility for taking the necessary steps to ensure that Texas is not endanger of ever losing the beauty that the state is known for.
