The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published the most up to date results of End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) processing and treatment in Ireland in 2020.  For the third year in a row, ELV Environmental Services (ELVES) has met targets of over 85% reuse and recycling, and 95% when including recovery.  

“This is a significant achievement”, said Fiacra Quinn the CEO of ELVES. “In a year which saw a full lockdown of the economy and society, ELVES’ Network of ATFs and metal re-processors continued to operate a necessary service, safely and efficiently.”  

He continued, “Funding of Post Shredder Technology, a means of extracting even more recycled materials than previously possible, brought the target achievement over the line for Ireland.  Not even a pandemic nor Brexit could knock ELVES off track during 2020.”

ELVES is now processing the data for 2021 and the results look promising at this point. Additionally, ELVES has just published its Annual Report for 2021. As well as target achievements, notable achievements include full membership in the new car sector, taking responsibility for batteries from electric vehicles, and providing training to ATFs in the depollution of air-con systems.  Red C Research undertaken in 2021, also demonstrated the impact of ELVES education and awareness efforts since they received approval in 2017.

Fiacra commented, “ELVES’ communications programme has proven to be increasingly successful over the past few years. The continued messaging of the importance of using a permitted ATF in the ELVES Network, as well as getting a Certificate of Destruction to end a car or small van owner’s responsibility for their vehicle is being heard by the majority of people in Ireland.” 

Sweeping changes are expected shortly in relation to the Batteries Directive and the ELV Directive, the European Frameworks that govern the management of ELVs and the batteries in them.  For the first time the Batteries Regulations will separately define an electric vehicle battery and propose to confer unique obligations on that sector.  A first draft of new ELV Regulations has yet to be published but is expected within the year.
 
“Over the last year, we have seen and fed into the development of the new Batteries Regulations and look forward to developing our Electric ELVES programme to meet the new requirements. Even greater changes are coming to the ELV Directive.  ELVES is up for the challenge”, concluded Fiacra.