What Happens to the Parts? Breaking Down the Auto Recycling Process
When a car is recycled, it doesn’t simply disappear. From parts reuse and depollution to shredding and material recovery, auto recycling is a detailed process designed to keep valuable materials in motion. This guide breaks down what really happens to vehicle parts after the road ends.
How to Prepare Your Car to Be Recycled
Preparing your car to be recycled is simpler than most people think. This step-by-step guide walks you through everything you need to do before pickup—from gathering documents and removing plates to canceling insurance and clearing out personal items. Plus, learn how to track your vehicle through its recycling journey in the Donor Console.
What To Do With My Prius? Here’s the Eco-Friendly Guide to End-of-Life Hybrid Recycling
Not sure what to do with your Prius when it reaches the end of its life? Here’s how hybrid vehicles are responsibly dismantled, recycled, and kept in the circular economy through eco-friendly recycling programs like SHiFT®.
How to Make Sustainable Choices in a World That’s Always Selling You More
In a world overflowing with ads, upgrades, and pressure to buy more, sustainable living can feel impossible. But with a few mindset shifts and simple habits – outlined by marketing professional and guest author Jillian Barron – intentional choices become easier and far more rewarding.
Dismantling Auto Recycling Myths
Auto recycling has come a long way from the “junkyard” stereotypes of the past. In this guest article, Brian Bachand, CEO of Westover Auto Salvage, breaks down the industry’s most persistent myths and explains how today’s certified recyclers operate with modern standards, rigorous quality control, and a commitment to sustainability.
The True Cost of Keeping a Car You Don’t Use
Keeping an unused car might seem harmless, but it comes with hidden costs — from insurance and registration fees to pollution and rust. Learn how letting go through SHiFT® can save money and the planet.
How to Bring Circular Thinking Into Everyday Life
Circular thinking isn’t just for businesses or sustainability experts — it’s a mindset that anyone can adopt. By looking at what we buy, use, and throw away through a new lens, we can keep valuable materials in motion and reduce waste. From repairing at home to recycling vehicles responsibly through SHiFT®, small actions create lasting impact. In the words of Robin Wall Kimmerer, “The stories we choose to shape our behaviors have adaptive consequences.” Here’s how to build circular habits that sustain both people and the planet.
SHiFT® and Stadium Auto Parts Featured in The Colorado Sun
SHiFT® was recently featured in The Colorado Sun for helping get old, high-polluting vehicles off the road and advancing sustainable auto recycling. The article spotlights SHiFT’s guaranteed vehicle retirement process and highlights certified partner Stadium Auto Parts, an 80-year leader in responsible recycling. Together, SHiFT and Stadium ensure every vehicle is processed to completion—engines decommissioned, materials reclaimed, and pollutants kept out of the environment. Read more about how SHiFT and our partners are creating a cleaner, more circular future for automotive recycling.
Spotlight on a Trusted Partner: Cocoa Auto Salvage
For nearly five decades, Cocoa Auto Salvage has been a trusted name in Florida’s Space Coast community — helping drivers find affordable, high-quality OEM parts while protecting the planet through responsible recycling. Founded by Doug and Linda Lathem in 1978, this family-run business has grown from a two-person operation into a modern, environmentally conscious recycling facility. As a SHiFT Vehicle Retirement Initiative® partner, Cocoa Auto Salvage ensures every retired vehicle is recycled to completion, reducing carbon emissions and promoting a truly circular automotive economy. Learn how they’re driving sustainability forward in Central Florida.
Auto Recycling: The Original Recycling Industry
Before household recycling programs existed, there was auto recycling. For more than a century, automotive recyclers have been reusing, repurposing, and responsibly processing end-of-life vehicles. This article explores the roots of the industry—from early scrap yards to today’s high-tech recycling facilities—and highlights how automotive recyclers became pioneers of sustainability, efficiency, and circular design. Learn why auto recycling remains one of the most impactful environmental solutions and how programs like SHiFT® ensure every vehicle is recycled to completion.