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Published on July 24th, 2008

New Hope For Scrapped Vehicle Shredder Residue

by Ashley Schiller

When a vehicle is recycled, it is first stripped of all valuable parts and then put through a shredder. Shredding allows the valuable metals to be extracted, and all that’s left in the end is an odd assortment of dirt, plastic, foam and rubber bits.

Usually shredder residue is shipped off to the landfill, but the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois is completing a facility to recycle the materials, according to the Herald News. The lab has been two decades in the making and should be completed within the year.

Technology to separate the materials and even the varying types of plastics makes further recycling possible. The foam from seats will be remade into carpet padding, the plastic from crumpled hoses into battery trays, steering column covers and headlight receptacles.

Some glass and dirt will still be left-over, but about half of the original residue is recycled instead of dumped.

The process can also work with household appliances, such as dishwashers and refrigerators. The lab is currently in negotiations with a company to build a facility for use in the private sector.

Ashley Schiller

Ashley Schiller

Ashley Schiller is a freelance writer. She is currently finishing her bachelors in political science and journalism.

More articles by Ashley


2 Comments

  1. Leon Franks

    posted on March 22nd, 2009 at 10:49 pm

    Why did most quit buying used carpet pad.

  2. Jason

    posted on June 16th, 2009 at 5:14 pm

    I would be happy to purchase a VSR reclaiming facility.

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