Current Status and Future Prospects for The Car Recycling System in Korea

자동차 리싸이클링의 현황과 과제

The Korean Auto industry has developed remarkably over the past 30 years. In 2000 alone, Korea produced 3.11 million vehicles, and the number of vehicles registered surpassed the ten million mark. As the number of vehicles registered in Korea has increased, yew after you, a rising number of cars have been scrapped. In 2000, a total of 455,592 automobiles were scrapped, up dramatically from only 101,158 in 1989. The system for handling of ELV(End-of-Life Vehicles) in Korea is governed by the "Motor Vehicle Control Act". The Act places the responsibility for vehicle scrapping directly on the vehicle owners. h vehicle owner can only can eel a vehicle registration after he gets a certificate from an authorized vehicle dismantler showing that his vehicle was properly scrapped according to the law. The take-back rate of ELV reaches nearly 100% in Korea. The vehicle scrapping process in Korea is very similar to those in other countries. fluids such as fuels and oils are first removed, and recyclable parts are collected and separated. Engines and transmissions are dismantled and recycled for use as raw material. Plastics, which are not easily reused, are generally treated as industrial wastes. The "Motor Vehicle Control Act" prohibits reuse of certain parts in order to guarantee the safety of the used auto parts. However, some restrictions on the reuse of auto parts have recently been eased to promote recycling. In this paper, additionally, car recycling policy of the foreign countries such as Japan, Germany and EU were reviewed.