FORS, the Poland vehicle recycling association has adopted a resolution on establishing a Car Recycler’s Day
Last year, the Board for FORS Association adopted a resolution to establish a day that represents vehicle recyclers around the world and it was decided that 18th September will be set as the date for Car Recycler’s Day.
We asked Adam Małyszko, President of the board of the Association of Car Recycling (FORS) in Poland, why have a day dedicated to Car recyclers?
Car recycling is a process that has taken more than 100 years to establish and in the beginning, vehicles were dismantled without any specific rules and regulations.
As the automotive industry developed, there was a need to legally regulate the rules of car recycling and to separate car recycling from the scrap recycling process.
In the 1940s, when the Second World War was taking place in Europe and there was little or no thought of such issues as car recycling rules, in the US, they began to take notice. However, the regulations on dismantling adopted at the time had little impact on environmental protection.
The real breakthrough in car recycling legislation came on 18th September 2000 when Directive 2000/53/EC on end-of-life vehicles was adopted. It was the world’s first comprehensive and detailed piece of legislation for ELVs.
The regulations contained in the Directive are a kind of constitution for recycling vehicles. Although the provisions of the Directive are formally binding within the territory of the Member States of the European Union, many countries outside the EU also benefit from them.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of when the Directive came into force, which is why the Board of FORS Association believes the 18th September to be an accurate date to emphasise the importance of the car recycling industry.
Car Recycler’s Day will be during the same week as European Week for Sustainable Transport, with International Car Free Day being celebrated on the 22nd September. Other holidays also celebrated during this week are the following: International Ozone Layer Protection Day, International Geologist’s Day and World Cleaning Action.
In Poland, as well as in many other countries, the recycling industry has faced many challenges including competition from illegal operators, lack of appropriate legal regulations, the constant need to improve qualifications, difficult cooperation with manufacturers, insurers or processors of waste resulting from the disassembly of vehicles and for these reasons, it is important for the industry to have its own day to celebrate what has been achieved despite these challenges; a day on which the importance of the industry can be emphasised.
Is the day to be worldwide?
Since adopting the resolution, we have received interest from associations from all around the world wanting to get involved. It was generating a lot of momentum but the world was then hit by the COVID pandemic. Because of this, all of the planned activities have had to be put on hold. However, we aim for the 18th of September to be an important day for all vehicle recyclers to help promote its importance and professionalism for many years to come. This year’s celebration may have to be a quiet affair but we plan for future years to be more organised and see the day celebrated worldwide.
To find out more about how you can promote Car Recycler’s Day, contact FORS Association at sekretariat@fors.pl or Joanna.gawryluk@hotmail.com or visit the website www.fors.pl
