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What Happens to Your Car After It Is Junked
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The Short Answer
After pickup, a junk car is drained of fluids, stripped of its battery, refrigerant and hazardous parts, picked over for reusable components, then crushed and sent to a shredder that separates the steel from everything else. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, recycling of automobiles is nearly 100% each year, making cars one of the most recycled products in the country.
Here is the sequence in more detail, along with the figures behind it.
Step One: Fluids and Hazardous Materials
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s guide Processing End-of-Life Vehicles sets out a removal order: the battery, then refrigerant, then fuel, followed by antifreeze, brake fluid, engine oil, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, differential fluid and washer fluid. The guide estimates that a typical car holds about 4.9 gallons of fluids, including 2.7 gallons of fuel, 1.0 gallon of engine oil and 0.7 gallon of coolant.
Responsible yards do this work on sealed or covered surfaces. In New Jersey, NJDEP’s 2025 compliance advisory requires vehicle recyclers to drain fluids indoors or under cover, as explained in our New Jersey junkyard permits guide. Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection gives similar guidance to salvage yards, including draining fluids upon arrival and storing batteries on impervious surfaces.
Step Two: Mercury Switches and Reusable Parts
Many vehicles built before 2003 contain small mercury switches in hood and trunk lights and in some anti-lock brake systems. The National Vehicle Mercury Switch Recovery Program, an agreement among automakers, steelmakers, recyclers and the EPA, pays for their removal before crushing. Its administrator, End of Life Vehicle Solutions Corp., reported in a 2022 announcement that more than 7.4 million switches containing over 8.2 tons of mercury had been recovered by more than 10,000 participating recyclers, and that the program was extended to July 1, 2027.
Parts with resale value, such as alternators, wheels and body panels, are removed next. Catalytic converters are recovered for their precious metals; see our catalytic converter guide.
Step Three: Crushing and Shredding
The stripped vehicle is flattened and sent to a shredder, a machine that tears it into fist-sized pieces. Magnets and other separation systems pull out the steel, then the aluminum, copper and other nonferrous metals. The USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Iron and Steel Scrap reports that more than 13 million tons of steel a year is recycled from automobiles, equal to roughly 17 million cars, from more than 280 car shredders in North America.
What remains after the metals are recovered is called shredder residue: plastics, rubber, glass, foam and fabric. An Argonne National Laboratory study of end-of-life vehicle recycling found that metals make up about 75% of a vehicle’s weight, and the remaining 25% becomes residue, most of which is landfilled.
How Cars Compare With Other Steel Products
USGS reports that the overall US steel scrap recycling rate has averaged between 80% and 90% over the past decade, with structural steel at 97%, appliances at 78% and steel containers at 62%. Automobiles, at nearly 100%, sit at the top of that list. A junk car taken to a licensed recycler is not waste; it is raw material for new steel.
Where Your Car Fits In
Every vehicle we buy from our yards in Lake Worth Beach and Perth Amboy enters this process. Before any of it happens, the purchase is documented and the vehicle is reported to NMVTIS, as described in our NMVTIS guide. Call (561) 203-8970 in Florida or (732) 709-7989 in New Jersey to schedule a free pickup.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much of a junk car is recycled?
USGS describes automobile recycling as nearly 100% each year. By weight, about 75% of a vehicle is metal that is recovered, according to Argonne National Laboratory; the rest is shredder residue.
What happens to the gas and oil in my car?
Recyclers drain all fluids before crushing, in an order set out in EPA guidance. Fuel, oil and coolant are captured for reuse or proper disposal.
Why do recyclers remove mercury switches?
Mercury from switches in older vehicles would otherwise be released when the steel is melted. The national recovery program has collected more than 7.4 million switches.
Can my car be resold instead of crushed?
A car bought for junk is usually dismantled. In Florida, a vehicle bought as derelict without a title may never be titled again and must be dismantled or scrapped.
Related Guides
- What Is My Junk Car Worth? Scrap Prices and Vehicle Weight
- NMVTIS and Title Washing: Why Your Junk Car Is Reported
- Catalytic Converter Rules When Selling a Junk Car
See every topic on our Junk Car Selling Guides page, or find your town on Areas We Serve.
Sources
- U.S. EPA, Processing End-of-Life Vehicles (EPA530-R-15-007, 2017)
- USGS, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Iron and Steel Scrap
- End of Life Vehicle Solutions Corp., NVMSRP MOU Renewed to 2027 (2022)
- Argonne National Laboratory, End-of-Life Vehicle Recycling (2006)
- Florida DEP, Sector M: Automobile Salvage Yards guidance
About the Data on This Page
The vehicle composition figure (about 75% metal) comes from an Argonne National Laboratory study published in 2006, and the fluid volumes come from a 2017 EPA guide; both remain the most widely cited sources but are not recent. The USGS steel figures are from the 2026 edition and cover North America, not only the United States. Mercury switch totals are from a 2022 announcement; the EPA’s own program page still shows older totals. Information here is a plain-language summary for consumers, not legal advice. Last reviewed November 2026.
