Recycling clunkers uses less electricity, fuel

A point needs to be added to “Junker clunkers: Cash for clunkers good, not great, for area auto recyclers (Aug. 7 story).”

It used to be unprofitable to recycle the bodies of old cars, and this was a national problem. Shredders made car recycling profitable. The last I checked, the recycling rate approached 100 percent.

These shredders are remarkable machines that automatically separate ferrous and other metals.

The big economic advantage of recycled metals is that they require a good deal less energy than producing metals from raw materials. This cost advantage is why steel from the so-called mini-mills have out-competed the old integrated steel mills.

Furthermore, the Cash for Clunkers program reduces air pollution, which is why environmental economists - my field - recommended this program long ago:

1) The recycling saves energy - electric power - reducing pollution from electric utilities.

2) Older cars may have less effective emission controls.

3) Newer, smaller cars use less fuel, which reduces pollution, including global warming gas.

These pollution reductions must of course be added to the creation of jobs in the hard-pressed auto industry, which is probably why Congress finally moved on it. Whether the owners of the older gas-guzzling SUVs deserve the subsidy from taxpayers is another question, but that is beside the point.

Don Cell

Mount Vernon