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.

Recycle or re-sale: how do we decide?

There are a few key factors in determining your tax receipt amount. The vehicle’s year, make/model, and mileage are all important. The re-sale market condition in your area impacts our hopes of seeing successful auction re-sale. The condition of the interior/exterior make a difference, too.

There is one more determining factor. The one thing that we have no control over, but that is having the biggest impact on just how many zeros you’ll see on your tax receipt? The value of metal in Canada. This correlates directly with fluctuating oil and gas prices.

You may have been checking around at your local scrap yards to see what they’ll offer for your ’98 BMW, or that still-drivable Jimmy?

Perhaps you’re finding that they’re not offering more than a few dollars. They may have turned you away at the gate. In some parts of the country they’ve even asked you to pay them to take your car.

Here’s why:

Graph Courtesy of IAA Salvage Index Report

How the Recycle and Metal Industry Impact the Value of Your Car

The instability of a country such as Greece causes uncertainty in global markets. Global markets trade, among other things, metal, and investors are reluctant to spend when a country is unstable. This causes demand to drop and supply to increase (due to low sales); this drop in demand causes the drop in price for metals.

For some detailed (and we do mean detailed!) information on some of the many moving parts related to this issue — everything from the price of oil to international markets to various metals — read this article from the Recycling Product News website.

How this affects you, our donor:

If you donate a car that can be sold at auction, and kept on the road as it serves a happy new owner, we’ll facilitate that through as-is sale to the highest bidder.

If your car is recycle-ready, our supporting recycle or scrap yard will buy your vehicle for the metal they can re-sell to metal processors in North America (to our neighbors down South), or offshore (China and India are major buyers). They also attempt to re-sell serviceable parts here at home so, even if metal values are low, our cooperating agents may be able to make up for some losses by selling individual pieces.

What the scrap yard salvages:

Vehicle itself – Aluminum/Steel/Iron

Catalytic Converter – Platinum

Engine Block – Aluminum

Transmission – Aluminum

Radiator – Aluminum

Turbo – Aluminum

Alloy wheels – Aluminum

Battery – Refurbish and re-sell

Serviceable Parts – Refurbish and re-sell

So much information – all in our concerted effort to good for your chosen charity

You can see why we ask the pesky question, “Are there any parts missing?” Our guys in the field are working hard to pay for fuel in the tow truck tank and bread on the table through every salvageable part! This is great for the environment as nothing’s wasted, and it ensures that our supporting tow companies and auction houses can continue to serve us by providing free tows and donation returns.

Metal values are low today, but our contacts in the industry assure that it just takes a little time for these things to sort themselves out; we can expect to see an increase in due time. 

If you have curiosity or concerns about this aspect of your vehicle donation process we welcome your call or email query. We look forward to hearing from you!

The post The Metal Monster | How we Value Your Recycle Donation 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.