Used Vehicles and Parts Reveal the Global Reach of Vehicle Recycling Yards

Research by Sébastien Jacquot and Marie Morelle shows vehicle recycling yards are not simply end points for unwanted vehicles. They are global reuse and recovery hubs linking affordable repair, parts trade, materials recycling and international supply chains, while facing growing pressure from urban redevelopment, regulation and new controls over ELV value.

Marie Morelle and Sébastien Jacquot, authors of research on global vehicle recycling yards and used parts flows. — Marie Morelle and Sébastien Jacquot

Research by Sébastien Jacquot and Marie Morelle shows that vehicle recycling yards are more than endpoints for damaged or ageing vehicles. Drawing on findings from their paper, the article examines how these sites connect repair, reuse, materials recovery, and international trade, while facing growing pressure from urban redevelopment, regulation, and attempts to control the value of end-of-life vehicles.

The journey of a vehicle does not necessarily end when it is written off, deregistered, or deemed too old for a given market.

It may be dismantled for parts, repaired and returned to the road elsewhere, exported as a used vehicle, broken into material streams or moved through several countries before reaching its final destination.

Drawing on research conducted between 2021 and 2024, S. Jacquot and M. Morelle examine vehicle recycling yards and related automotive markets in France, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon and the United Arab Emirates. Their work presents vehicle recycling as an interconnected urban and global economy rather than a simple local waste-management activity.

Vehicle recycling yards as centres of reuse

Vehicle recycling yards emerged alongside the growth of vehicle ownership and the need to recover value from abandoned and damaged cars.

In France, early operators were closely connected to the scrap-metal trade, recovering steel, copper and other materials. The focus gradually shifted towards parts reuse as dismantlers recognised the commercial value of components that could keep other vehicles on the road.

Similar patterns developed in Abidjan and Douala. The shortage or high cost of new replacement components encouraged markets for used parts, supported by dismantlers, repairers, traders and scrap dealers.

These locations now perform several functions. Vehicles are received, assessed, dismantled and separated into reusable components, metals and other materials. Parts are then graded and valued according to condition, age, brand, model, demand and availability.

The way stock is presented varies considerably. A modern French ELV facility may catalogue components in a digital inventory and store them on controlled warehouse racking. In Abidjan or Douala, parts may be displayed in small roadside shops, specialist market areas or informal workshops.

In every case, however, successful reuse depends on practical knowledge. Operators must know which components are interchangeable, repairable, commercially valuable and suited to local vehicle fleets.

Keeping older vehicles mobile

The study highlights the social importance of reused parts.

In France, lower-income households may rely on older vehicles to get to work and essential services. Used components offer an affordable route to keeping those vehicles operational.

The same is true across the African cities examined, where new vehicles and dealer-supplied components remain beyond the financial reach of much of the population. Used vehicle markets and vehicle recycling yards, therefore, support mobility by providing lower-cost repair options.

Repairers regularly adapt parts or combine components from different sources. The researchers encountered vehicles imported from Japan that had been converted from right- to left-hand drive using parts sourced from Europe, as well as mechanics fitting compatible components from different vehicle brands.

These practices may sit outside formal manufacturer repair procedures, but they demonstrate the technical skill and adaptability underpinning the international reused-parts economy.

A transnational parts network

Vehicle recycling yards are connected through complex supply routes that move vehicles and parts between cities and continents.

European dismantlers may sell engines and other components to buyers supplying West and Central African markets. Accident-damaged vehicles deemed uneconomic to repair in Western Europe may be purchased for repair in countries with lower labour costs.

Vehicles and parts also arrive from North America, Japan and South Korea, often passing through major trading hubs.

Sharjah and Dubai have become particularly important. Their industrial zones contain extensive dismantling operations, warehouses, showrooms and parts markets serving buyers from Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and elsewhere.

A component purchased in Abidjan may have originated in a Japanese vehicle recycling yard, passed through Sharjah and travelled by container before entering a local repair market. Douala acts as another regional hub, distributing vehicles and parts across Cameroon and into neighbouring countries.

There is no single route. Traders adjust supply chains according to vehicle demand, transport costs, taxation, customs rules and personal business networks. Family, community and professional connections also help traders access finance, knowledge and overseas suppliers.

Urban pressure pushes recyclers outward

Although vehicle recycling yards deliver reuse, repair and materials recovery, cities frequently regard them as undesirable activities.

Operators require significant land for receiving vehicles, dismantling, processing and storage. As urban land values increase, vehicle recycling yards and used-car markets are often pushed further from city centres.

This has occurred in the Paris region and in international vehicle trading areas around Brussels and Sharjah.

In Abidjan, vehicle dismantlers and parts traders have been repeatedly displaced. Businesses moved from the historic Adjamé area towards Abobo and later to more distant sites, sometimes losing stock, customer access and secure premises in the process.

Moving recyclers to the urban fringe may free central land for redevelopment, but it can also separate businesses from repairers and customers while weakening established commercial networks.

Formalisation creates new tensions

Governments are increasingly seeking to regulate vehicle collection, dismantling, imports and materials recovery.

In France, only authorised ELV centres can formally process and deregister end-of-life vehicles, yet significant numbers are still believed to move through unofficial channels.

In Abidjan and Douala, informal working arrangements and limited environmental controls remain common. Fluids may not be collected correctly, while residual materials may be burned or disposed of without adequate treatment.

Stronger standards are clearly needed to improve worker safety, depollution and traceability. However, the researchers also show that formalisation can shift control towards larger networks, manufacturers, insurers and producer responsibility organisations.

Independent dismantlers may become dependent on contracts and controlled vehicle supply routes. The growth of circular economy policy, therefore, creates both recognition and concern: end-of-life vehicles are increasingly seen as valuable resource streams, but those who built existing reuse markets may lose autonomy.

What the research means for recyclers

The paper presents vehicle recycling yards as essential infrastructure within the automotive circular economy.

They connect end-of-life treatment with affordable mobility, parts reuse, materials recycling and international trade. They also retain knowledge that cannot be replaced by regulation or logistics systems alone.

For policymakers, the challenge is to improve environmental standards and traceability without undermining the repair and reuse networks that already extend vehicle life.

For professional recyclers, the research reinforces the importance of documenting value beyond waste treatment. Dismantlers are not simply handling discarded vehicles; they are managing assets that continue to move through cities, markets and supply chains long after their first life has ended.

To read the original full paper (French), click here: (AG_767-768_02-16).