French automakers design for increased recycling

FRENCH AUTOMAKERS DESIGN FOR INCREASED RECYCLING

The first deadline for meeting the recycling goals set in a 1993 agreement among French recycling specialists is only three years away, when no more than 15 percent by weight of a car may be disposed in France. New models will have to be at least 90 percent recyclable. By 2015, the maximum level of disposal will be five percent by weight. The country's auto industry is responding by making design adjustments to increase the viability of recycling vehicles. Innovations in some cars include: Marking plastic parts weighing over 3.5 ounces for future sorting; Clipping on instead of gluing auto trim parts such as side moldings to simplify removal; Minimizing the use of copper and other residual metals to improve the quality of recovered scrap; and Limiting the number of different plastics used in manufacturing. More end uses for recycled auto materials also are being developed, such as plastics in concrete production or backfill and tires in floor coverings.