Function

Of course, this oldtimer will most likely not be disposed of. However, only after careful dismantling this question can be answered finally. Only few vehicles manage to escape the recycling and disposal process. Nevertheless, all vehicles in Germany are subject to the old car-regulation. According to this regulation, every car should be brought to a recycling place, which issues a recycling certificate for the last owner, at the end of the car's life. Without this certificate, the owner is still bound data-juridically to the car, it cannot be layed up. Recycling shops are being checked on a yearly basis.

How it works

Legislation in Germany is fond of voluntary self-obligations in the form of agreements between the legislator and the affected industry, instead of issuing laws for recycling. This provides a chance for the automobile industry to influence the process even stronger than in a legislational procedure. The Government saves itself the efforts and temporal delay of a legislation procedure.
The old car-regulation applies to all vehicles weighing less than 3.5 metric tons with up to 8 passenger seat places. The long term policy is to recycle the raw materials of the vehicle, in 2006 it should be 85 percent of the weight of the vehicle, increasing to 95 percent in 2015.Up to now the last holder of the vehicle had to take up his responsibility for recycling and pay for it. Now this duty will be transfered to the vehicle manufacturers. They must install an exhaustive net of places where one can deliver all old, complete vehicles with German license plate free of charge. How they treat the vehicles, may be read here.