Automotive Recyclers of Washington

AROW is the vehicle recycling industry association in Washington State. Over 350,000 vehicles are disposed of in Washington State every year. Vehicle recyclers play a key role by removing and reselling usable parts from worn out or damaged vehicles. Reuse is even better for the environment than even recycling because it uses less energy and other resources. Vehicle recyclers make it easy for consumers to find clean and very serviceable used parts for all years, makes and models of vehicles. Vehicle recyclers also play a major role in protecting the environment by removing and recycling vehicle fluids like oils, anti-freeze, gasoline, brake fluid, mercury containing components, air conditioning gases, etc. Once all of the reusable parts have been removed, they prepare the remaining vehicle for recycling. Seventy-five percent of the material in a vehicle is currently reused or recycled, as opposed to about 61% of aluminum cans. And, vehicle recyclers do all of this at no cost to the public, create family wage jobs, and generate and pay business taxes to help support federal, state and local government operations.Nationally, approximately 10 million vehicles are recycled or reused annually, making cars the number one recycled/reused product in the United States. Vehicle recycling generates approximately 12 million tons of recycled steel every year in the United States, representing 37% of all ferrous scrap, generating an energy savings of approximately 74%, enough energy to power 18 million households for one year.