Spring is finally upon us. We in the Tri-State are ready to thaw out and clean up after hibernating throughout these past winter months. Standard spring-cleaning checklists span every room and address every corner. But beyond freshening and tidying, people nationwide are clearing out. As our culture balances desires for excess as well as minimalism, it’s out with the old and in with the new. You probably have a clear vision of what to address in your home. After a deep clean, you can keep just what you need and pay the rest forward. It’s time to resell those shirts you’ve never worn, donate your gently used kitchen tools, and drop off old toys to a family in need.
Arguably more important than clearing out your house is taking care of the moving home that transports you from one place to the next. We see automobiles as an “exterior room”, an extension of our homes. And, as one of the most-used “exterior rooms” you own, it’s important to treat your car accordingly.
After countless hours on snowy and salty roads, you’ve probably gotten a carwash to remove the wintery buildup. Maybe a quick spritz of air freshener to eliminate the lingering takeout smell. But is your car getting you what you need? Or is it time to resell your vehicle like your old clothes?
It might be time to clear out your car if:
- You are paying more and more money to fix recurring issues.
- Your car is not running well, both from efficiency and functional perspectives.
- You have an outdated, damaged model with chipped paint or other cosmetic issues that embarrass you every time you hit the highway.
Not only will clearing out your car help free you from these everyday annoyances that come with your clunker, your recycled car materials will help others get cost-effective parts for their vehicles’ needs. Even better, you’ll help the environment as you switch to a more energy-efficient alternative. But before you just jump to your next new thing, take the time to recycle your used car responsibly. You wouldn’t just leave perfectly good shoes or furniture on the side of the road, so why would you leave your car out to decompose? Simply ditching your car won’t do anything to reduce your negative impact on the environment. In fact, it will harm the environment even more as it decays at a landfill, decomposes in the elements, and pollutes the surrounding areas. When you recycle your car, all hazardous fluids like oil, gasoline, and anti-freeze are properly disposed of, which prevents these fluids from seeping into the ground and contaminating groundwater reserves. Not only that, your used car materials will help produce new parts in a more environmentally friendly process. Recycling your car’s materials such as steel uses less energy and produces fewer greenhouse gases than producing steel from scratch.
When manufacturers create steel, they must go through a harmful process of refining iron oil with coal. Recycling steel also helps save limestone, which is often destroyed in the mining of coal. When you take your car to a recycling center, it’s like taking your car to a consignment shop. It will be repurposed for someone who needs it more than you. And, rather than a donation center that simply takes things off your hands, Recycling Your Car at Reitman will give you money for your car’s materials.