Habitat for Humanity Recycles Cars Into Houses

Habitat for Humanity is using Earth Day 2009 to draw attention to its Cars for Homes™ program for donated cars and other vehicles to raise money to build houses for low income families.

Habitat’s Cars for Homes™ program offers free pick-up and recycling of vehicles in any condition. The vehicle must have four inflated tires to facilitate towing, and a vehicle title is required to show transferal of ownership. In addition to cars, trucks, boats, motorcycles, RVs and even construction equipment are accepted.

Habitat for Humanity will pick up your car for free, donate it and use the proceeds to build a new home. Photo: Pasty.com

Here’s a quick overview on how the program works:

1. Once the vehicle is picked up, your local Habitat for Humanity program will sell it to a recycle program or a salvage yard
2. The car is then drained of fluids and shredded to recover materials like iron and steel (which comprise about 65 percent of the typical car)
3. Habitat receives approximately 80 percent of the proceeds from vehicle sales (after towing and other expenses)
4. This money is used to purchase building supplies
5. Donors can receive a tax deduction for their vehicle. The amount depends on how much the car sells for

The Steel Recycling Institute estimates that vehicle recycling represents 14 million tons of recovered steel. It also provides reusable parts for new cars, such as wheels and windows, and offers a solution for unwanted, junk cars. Keep America Beautiful found 15,000 trashed cars in American parks in 2008 alone.

“In celebration of Earth Day, we are inviting supporters to help eliminate substandard housing and homelessness by recycling their old vehicles,” says Marcia Rundle, director of Habitat’s Cars for Homes™. “The proceeds from car donations help purchase building materials and result in homes built in partnership with families in need of decent shelter.”