Expert points at auto waste, wants industry to evolve disposal chain

Handling auto waste is emerging as a big issue and the automotive industry should create a ‘disposal chain', similar to supply chain, so that vehicles that ultimately turn into scrap bundles can be effectively disposed of, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, R. Chidambaram, said on Monday.

Delivering the inaugural address at the fourth edition of ‘Automotive R&D trends 2015: automotive technology – mobility as a system', organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), he said that the issue could not be ignored any longer.

The latest generation vehicles could be described as computer on wheels as they were coming out with more embedded systems and hence their disposal required greater attention as was being done in advanced countries.

Semi-skilled labourers are required to remove valuable parts such as aluminium. Through effective recycling, one can generate two million tonnes of steel, 1.50 lakh tonnes of aluminium, 75,000 tonnes of rubber and plastic by 2020.

This figure will increase by 10 per cent annually and reduce carbon dioxide emission. It will require only seven per cent of electrical energy to produce aluminium from recycled material, he said. The Ministry of Heavy Industries and the automobile industry have set up a demo centre for automobile recycling at the Global Automotive Research Centre, Oragadam. A large number of cars and two-wheelers have been donated to kickstart it.