Waaaaaay back in 2011 we passed the 1 billion mark for cars on the planet. That’s a lot of:

• metal
• rubber
• glass
• fabric
• emissions
• storage
• jobs
  • creation/production
  • oil
  • gas
  • repairs
• progress
• memories
• recycling

Why would you want to retire your ride?

The pendulum for so many years swung towards consumerism. Retire your ride? We didn’t even think about it! Create, build, consume, repeat. Without a lot of forward thought to the repercussions of such progress, the cycle continues. Vehicles have paved the way (pun intended) for much of the technology and forward thinking we have today. When the industrial revolution hit in the mid 1800’s, no one could have ever predicted the outcome.

While we all enjoy the benefits and luxuries afforded us by this revolution, we’ve also recognized the responsibility that comes with it to ensure proper care and awareness of our environment.

One thing we know for sure – there are lots of vehicles in Canada needing to be retired (think about that – 1 billion vehicles on the planet!), which translates into being repurposed or recycled. It is important to us at Donate A Car Canada to be mindful of the process.

A little more friendly to the environment

It’s taken several years for the vehicle recycling industry to transition into a more environmentally friendly focus. Now, it has come a long way to ensuring proper disposal and usage of materials when a vehicle becomes their responsibility. It is an expensive and time consuming process to remove and dispose of fluids properly. Then recyclers need to crush and pallet the metal and ship it somewhere to be used.

When a vehicle comes into our program, part of our process is to determine if it should be re-sold, or recycled. When looking for agents in various parts of the country to provide service for us, we try to secure environmentally conscientious guys first. It’s important to us that, when you’re ready to retire your ride, you have choices that work for you.

We’ve joined forces with so many amazing, dedicated and supportive towing agents, recyclers and auction houses and we are so very grateful for the part they play in the process of getting your donation from your yard to the dollars we send to your charities of choice!

Retire your ride with purpose

If you are ready to make a meaningful difference with your unused/unwanted vehicle, we’re your crew! You can donate it to any Canadian charity. Yup! ANY one of the over 80,000 organizations working to sustain, improve, research, heal, and entertain our amazing country.

The process is simple, quick, and free. Fill in an online donation form. Then wait for one of the above-mentioned tow agents to call to arrange your free tow support. Next, wait for your tax receipt to arrive in your inbox!

So, if you’re done with it, do good with it!

Top image courtesy of adamr at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The post It Takes A ‘Village’ to Retire Your Ride! appeared first on Donate A Car.

We think it’s about time you knew some ‘behind-the-scenes’ information about how our agents’ involvement makes a difference for you, our donors!

Donate A Car operates by connecting with agents (towing companies, salvage yards, auction houses) across the country. They share our vision and process.  We invite them to participate in the joy of facilitating donations to charities nationwide. Then, when you submit your vehicle for donation, we assign it to one of those agents. They pick up or auction it on your behalf — for free!

Recently one of our family-run salvage yards participated in what turned out to be a really cool experience. And not just for them! For them, for our donor, and for our Donate A Car team. Oh! And for the charity the donor selected (in this case, the MS Society)!

Wheelin’ in a Unique Donation for the MS Society!

Talk about an interesting scenario! A Calgary woman offered her used electric wheelchair as a donation to the MS Society. At first we were unsure if we could help her with it. Although it had wheels, it wasn’t really considered a ‘vehicle’! A Calgary agent agreed to take it but then suggested it go to their sister site in Edmonton. The had a hunch that the Edmonton locale’s style of auction would get a better donation result. They then generously offered to transport the chair from Calgary to Edmonton at no charge.

In the big scheme of things, we would never have guessed what that wheelchair would bring at auction because we’ve never had the opportunity to do this before. I don’t know that any of us anticipated that it would generate almost $600.00 in a charitable amount being given to the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada. Woot!

What we didn’t know at the time was that the owner of the company was all over that sale. The gentleman who bought the used wheelchair is a regular attender at the Edmonton auction site. He requires the use of a wheelchair. When the compassionate auction owner discovered it was one of his ‘regulars’ who’d purchased the wheelchair he said, “I wouldn’t hear of him paying for that chair so I just went ahead and covered the cost for him. ‘Just paid for it!”

These are the moments we know we’re in the right place at the right time doing the right thing with the right people!

Thank you to all of our agent who, daily, make a difference on behalf of donors and charities alike! The MS Society and thousands (Yes – actual thousands!) more. You’ve got a lot of heart!

The post Our Agents Have Heart: MS Society Receives Unique Gift appeared first on Donate A Car.

I love my car. It’s been good to me. As a single mom I was grateful every day for how safe I felt in it, how lucky I was to have it, and now I have to let it go. I knew I’d cry but I wanted it to be in the privacy of my own home, no one else knowing, not right before heading into a business meeting.

Whoever hit my car has no idea how he/she has impacted my life. The decision now of finding a different car, can I manage a payment, lost work time and the emotional upheaval. Nicely done. “Recycle your ride” is good advice, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to follow!

Another staff member’s car was hit and run last month, so we’re well versed in the details of insurance, waiting, left wondering who would be so irresponsible.

We want to see you recycle your ride, and we love seeing hundreds of charities benefit from the gift of a car that’s ready to go from the road to becoming a legacy — but letting go is hard to do!

I share these moments because at Donate A Car we truly do understand what it means to let go of a vehicle, to recognize that it’s no longer useful, and that all the details involved in that process can be tedious and time consuming. We’re mindful of how hard it can be when the tow truck driver arrives in his jolly good mood while you’re trying to hold it together. We know that it’s just a material possession, but one that was useful and meant something to you.

Never doubt that on the other end of the phone or through our online process that there are caring individuals processing your donation, doing our best to ensure the right and best outcome for your car and for your charity. We get it. So, whether you recycle your ride, or find a private buyer or recipient, thank you for considering the donation option!

The post It’s a Sad, Sad Day: When “Recycle Your Ride” is About More Than Metal and Tires appeared first on Donate A Car.