With the support of AEDRA and FER, SIGRAUTO organized a visit to both an Authorized Treatment Center and a fragmentation facility
In March, the Spanish Association for the Environmental Treatment of End-of-Life Vehicles (SIGRAUTO) organized a visit to end-of-life vehicle treatment facilities for Mr. Alejandro Dorado, Commissioner for the Circular Economy of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO). The objective of the visit was for Mr. Dorado to see firsthand how end-of-life vehicle (ELV) treatment is currently being carried out in Spain.
First, the Commissioner visited an Authorized Treatment Center (CAT), where he was able to see the administrative and documentary process carried out at the CAT to certify not only the start of treatment but also the final deregistration of vehicles from the DGT’s General Vehicle Registry. This process is completely digital and allows the owner to receive both the certificate of destruction and the official proof of deregistration immediately upon receipt of their vehicle at the CAT. Mr. Dorado was also able to see firsthand how a vehicle is decontaminated through the removal, storage, and delivery of all hazardous waste from the vehicle to authorized managers, as well as the operations to promote recycling and prepare for reuse those components that can be used to repair other vehicles.
Afterwards, a vehicle and other materials shredding facility was visited, where the Ministry representative learned about the various operations performed to recover materials from vehicles. The facility features several technologies known in the industry as post-shredding, which allow for the production of a greater number of recoverable and higher-quality fractions.
The visit was very productive, and the Commissioner had the opportunity to exchange views with representatives of the sectors involved in the treatment of end-of-life vehicles on all aspects related to this very special waste and the future European regulation that will soon replace Directive 2000/53/EC, which has governed its management for the past 25 years and has enabled a massive transformation in the sector, making the automobile a paradigmatic example of the circular economy.
During the visits, the Commissioner highlighted the calls for proposals from the Circular Economy PERTE (Perte Circular Economy), which are currently in the resolution phase and indicated that they will be published soon. The PERTE is committed to three fundamental objectives for advancing the Circular Economy in Spanish industry: promoting eco-design of products to make them more durable and repairable from the source, reducing waste; improving waste management through treatment plants that increase reuse, recycling, and the incorporation of recovered raw materials into the production of new goods; and promoting digitalization linked to both objectives.
Source www.sigrauto.com
