The issue of abandoned cars have become more and more prominent of late, with reports by the Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan Raya (JPJ) stating that there are currently over 60,000 abandoned cars nationwide.
The phenomenon is not only an eyesore and a public nuisance, but as residents have complained, it is also an environmental threat and public health hazard as these vehicles become breeding grounds for mosquitoes. The vehicle’s lubricants and fluids which could potentially leak out would also pollute its surrounding areas.
As such, the Government has taken the first step in solving the problem by launching a pilot project which will first kick off in the Kajang Municipal, to properly and sustainably dispose of abandoned vehicles through the Authorised Automotive Treatment Facility (AATF) programme.
So far, eight companies have been appointed to be part of this pilot project including AATF pioneers, Kajang-based Car Medic Sdn Bhd, who acquired the AATF license from the DOE last year.
At the facility, the abandoned cars are stripped down entirely, including dismantling the engine and detonation of airbags (see video above). Each and every component is then stored separately, with the reusable ones sold as used parts while the damaged ones are recycled accordingly.
Even the fluids and lubricants, such as radiator coolant, engine oil and fuel, are properly drained with specialised equipment and stored in specially-built containers.
Where other bio-hazardous components are concerned, such as batteries, they’re stored in special storage rooms where the floors are raised to avoid spillages from leaking into the ground; causing all sorts of pollutions.
All bio-hazardous materials extracted from these abandoned cars form a list of “Scheduled Waste”, where all its data is collected by the DOE to be monitored in order to avoid any potential pollution.
The scrap metal collected could also be recycled and remanufactured into new components for the new car production; as we have seen for ourselves at Car Medic Sdn Bhd, absolutely nothing goes to waste or ends up at a landfill.
This not only benefits residents in housing areas where abandoned cars are usually found in terms of health and safety, but also lays the foundation for the government to tackle the increasing number of End-of-Life vehicles (ELV).
Typically, facilities like Car Medic also receive their “stock” of cars of recycling from insurance companies including Etiqa General Takaful Bhd, Berjaya Sompo Insurance Bhd and RHB Insurance Bhd once they’re written off as total loss vehicles but that does not mean you can’t do so yourself.
The facility is also open to the public for private vehicle owners to dispose of their abandoned cars. These private vehicle owners can get in touch with Car Medic with regards to logistics and other necessary arrangements.
For more information, contact Car Medic at 03-87236555 or e-mail them at [email protected].
