Disposing of your old car

As part of the End of Life Vehicle Directive, new Government Regulations came into force on 1^st January 2007 which mean that most vehicles (cars and goods vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes) now qualify for free take-back as the car manufacturer will pay the disposal costs, even if the vehicle has no value when scrapped).

If you have a vehicle which you wish to dispose of you should contact one of the two national schemes, Cartakeback and Autogreen, depending on the make of the vehicle (see table below to see which scheme to contact) to find the location of your nearest Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF) where the car can be taken for free disposal. Both schemes have a postcode finder on their websites.

Free disposal of your vehicle is guaranteed as long as the vehicle is largely complete (i.e. still has its engine, gearbox, bodywork, wheels, and if appropriate a catalytic converter) and is free of additional waste.

You should take your vehicle to your nearest ATF, along with your DVLA v5c document (if you don’t have it then you should contact the scheme, or the ATF beforehand to make sure they will accept the vehicle). The ATF will do the relevant paperwork and inform the DVLA that you have scrapped the car – they will issue you with a Certificate of Destruction– you should keep this safe as it proves you have disposed of the vehicle properly.

If you cannot take the car to the ATF then the scheme will be able to advise you of their collection services (this is free if you live 30 miles or more from the nearest ATF)

If your vehicle is not listed as belonging to a scheme you should contact the vehicle manufacturer/importer directly who will give you details of their arrangements, If this cannot be done then you should contact cartakeback (who may be able to accept other makes free of charge)

Babergh continues to offer a voluntary surrender scheme for people living in the Babergh which is priced at £35. This is aimed at those who cannot take their car to an ATF (or where the cost of collection by the ATF is more expensive than the voluntary surrender scheme), those with incomplete vehicles (who don’t qualify for free take-back) and for those who cannot determine the arrangements for their vehicle.

To use the service, you can:

• Telephone 01473 825890 and ask for a form to be sent.
• Download and complete the form via the link below and send it back to us:
  

  Voluntary Surrender of Unwanted Vehicle for Disposal Form
  
  Please note that it may take around two weeks for your vehicle to be collected.

If you have any queries about the arrangements for disposing of your vehicle or the Voluntary Surrender Scheme please contact us on 01473 825890

Cartakeback – http://www.cartakeback.com/ or 0845 2573233

Autogreen – http://www.autogreen.org/ or 0800 54220