Facing a decision: Sell, Give, or Recycle – A treasured old minivan encounters a crossroads

In the quiet town of Fredericksburg, Virginia, a 2005 Chrysler Town & Country minivan named Vanny has found a permanent parking spot in the author's driveway. Once a reliable companion for transporting the author's possessions across Interstate 10 during a move at 18 years old, and later used by the author's carpenter husband to haul sheets of plywood, Vanny's days on the road have come to an end.

Vanny's story is not unique. With a lifespan of 183,000 miles, it's no longer trusted for road trips. As cars age, repair costs go up, and their usefulness goes down, making them more of a liability. However, Vanny's journey does not have to end in a landfill.

Enter Autoverwertung Kühn, a car scrapyard company that is part of a new nationwide program called SHiFT. This initiative encourages car owners to donate their vehicles for recycling. At Autoverwertung Kühn, the crew takes apart donated cars using equipment similar to a garage that fixes cars.

Inside the warehouse, there are long rows of shelves filled with thousands of engines, transmissions, and body panels, ready to be shipped out to specialized remanufacturers. Parts from donated cars are either reused, remanufactured, or sold for scrap metal. For auto recyclers, the goals of reducing landfill waste and making money align, as they make more money by saving more from the landfill.

Donated cars in the SHiFT program have their engines recycled, not reused, to save carbon dioxide emissions. Fluids from donated cars are drained and stored for reuse. Oil is burned to heat buildings, antifreeze is cleaned and resold, washer fluid is given away or sold at a reduced rate, and Freon is sold for reuse.

As for Vanny, Ashley Gordon-Becker, the executive director of Way to Go, a nonprofit that fixes up cars for people who can't afford them, was willing to take a look at Vanny. However, the author's kids, who claim Vanny is a Transformer, may have other ideas.

Cars that are considered undrivable in the U.S. are sometimes fixed up and driven overseas. Bits of the crushed vehicle will be reused, remanufactured, or melted down for reuse in various products. The lifespan of a car being longer than it was two decades ago is due to multiple factors, including better car construction and inflation keeping cars on the road longer.

On average, new cars have a lifespan of 17 years, new vans and SUVs last 20, and pickups last 25 years. Yet, an old vehicle keeps emitting air pollution while being driven and is an ecological hazard if not disposed of properly once it dies.

Keith's Auto Shop, a used car dealer, recommended selling Vanny for scrap. After a vehicle is picked over for parts, it is eventually crushed by a machine, keeping it out of landfills. Proceeds from the valuable parts in the car at M&M Auto Parts go to support training for salvage yard workers.

Clodagh Beresford Dunne's poem "Ford Galaxy" describes an old family car as majestic before its final journey into a salvage yard. Vanny may not be a Ford Galaxy, but its journey is a testament to the circle of life in the automotive industry.

Even in its final days, Vanny has left a lasting impact. Its story serves as a reminder of the importance of responsible car disposal and the potential for second lives for old vehicles. As Vanny takes its place in the author's driveway, it stands as a symbol of the past, present, and future of automotive recycling.

Facing a decision: Sell, Give, or Recycle – A treasured old minivan encounters a crossroads