Professional automotive recyclers are essential partners in Canada's circular economy who recover reusable parts, safely manage hazardous materials, and reduce environmental impact, yet they are often excluded from policy decisions that directly affect their industry and must be included from the beginning in government, manufacturer, and regulatory conversations.
- Core responsibility: Professional recyclers recover OEM parts, safely remove hazardous materials, and recycle valuable commodities while keeping vehicle repairs affordable.
- Policy impact: When Saskatchewan proposed separate EV battery EPR legislation, ARC demonstrated how excluding recyclers creates duplicated efforts and unnecessary complexity—the battery provisions were removed after consultation.
- Sustainability contribution: Every recycled OEM part returned to service reduces new manufacturing needs, conserves raw materials, lowers emissions, and supports affordable repairs.
- Industry evolution: Modern professional recyclers operate sophisticated businesses with advanced inventory systems, environmental management practices, and programs like CAREC establishing national standards.
- Future priority: Recyclers need manufacturer support including technical information, training, and recovery systems beyond the dealership to safely manage increasingly complex vehicles like electric vehicles.
For decades, professional automotive recyclers have quietly managed the final stage of a vehicle's life.
They recover reusable original equipment (OEM) parts, safely remove hazardous materials, recycle valuable commodities, and help keep vehicle repairs affordable while reducing the environmental footprint of the automotive industry.
Yet despite playing a critical role in Canada's circular economy, recyclers are too often left out of the conversations that shape the future of transportation.
According to Automotive Recyclers of Canada (ARC) Executive Director Wally Dingman, that has to change.
Whether governments are developing environmental policy, manufacturers are introducing new technologies, or regulators are writing legislation, the people responsible for dismantling and responsibly managing vehicles at the end of their lives need to be involved from the beginning—not after the decisions have already been made.
"It's amazing how often legislators are drafting language and they're not including all the stakeholders involved."
That principle has become one of ARC's central priorities.
Representing seven provincial automotive recycling associations from coast to coast, ARC serves as the national voice for the industry. It shares information across Canada, identifies emerging issues, and works to create greater consistency in how the industry responds to regulatory change.
"It was a way to create a clearing house of information, to understand what's going on across the country and try to help create some harmonization."
Better Policy Starts with Better Consultation
One recent example demonstrates why that national perspective matters.
When Saskatchewan proposed Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation for electric vehicle batteries, ARC became aware of the proposal through industry partners and immediately began working with the Saskatchewan Automotive Recyclers Association.
The concern wasn't the objective.
Everyone agreed that EV batteries needed to be managed responsibly.
The issue was that Canada was already building a national battery recovery system through collaboration between vehicle manufacturers and industry partners.
Creating a separate provincial EPR program for the same batteries would have duplicated existing efforts, increased costs, added unnecessary complexity and created confusion for the businesses responsible for handling those batteries.
"To start throwing batteries in different jurisdictions under EPR when there's something else already happening nationally doesn't make any sense."
ARC and the Saskatchewan Automotive Recyclers Association worked together to explain those concerns to government. Following consultation, the battery provisions were removed from the proposal.
For Dingman, the experience reinforced a much broader lesson.
Good public policy isn't created by excluding stakeholders.
It's created by bringing the right people together before legislation is written.
"Auto manufacturers are designing a product and creating rules, regulations and processes, and they're not consulting the people who end up handling these things."
Professional recyclers are not asking governments or manufacturers to slow innovation.
They're asking to help make it work.
"We need to be sitting at the table so that you understand what we do and how we do it. You're impacting things downstream."
Looking Beyond the Battery
Electric vehicles represent one of the biggest changes our industry has ever faced, but battery recycling is only one piece of a much larger picture.
Before a battery is ever recycled, someone has to safely remove it from a damaged vehicle, transport it, assess its condition, store it properly and determine whether it can be repaired, repurposed or recycled.
Each of those steps requires practical regulations, proper infrastructure and, most importantly, trained people.
"If you're going to handle them, you have to have the training. You have to understand what it is that you're dealing with."
Manufacturers also have an important role to play.
If recyclers are expected to safely manage increasingly sophisticated vehicles, then access to technical information, training and recovery systems cannot end once the vehicle leaves the dealership.
"They created this, so help us out a little bit. They should be part of the solution."
Building a truly sustainable automotive industry means recognizing that
responsibility extends throughout a vehicle's entire lifecycle.
Learning from the Past
ARC has seen firsthand what can be accomplished when governments and industry work together.
Canada's Retire Your Ride program successfully removed older vehicles from Canadian roads while establishing environmental processing standards that helped professionalize automotive recycling across the country.
"We got a lot of vehicles off the road, did it responsibly and proved ourselves. ARC, although it's a small association, was definitely hitting way above our weight."
The program was a success.
But it also taught an important lesson.
Removing large numbers of repairable vehicles also removed millions of dollars' worth of reusable OEM parts from the marketplace—parts that could have continued supporting affordable repairs for Canadian consumers.
"Although I know what the wins were, I also know what the losses were. We took a lot of source material out of the market."
Effective public policy must consider the entire lifecycle of a vehicle—not simply how quickly it can be removed from the road.
The Circular Economy Begins with Reuse
Professional automotive recyclers are one of the automotive industry's greatest sustainability success stories.
Every quality recycled OEM part returned to service reduces the need for new manufacturing, conserves raw materials, lowers greenhouse gas emissions and helps make vehicle repairs more affordable.
This isn't a future goal.
It's happening every day.
Yet discussions about sustainability often overlook one of the simplest environmental solutions already available.
"They use all the buzzwords—sustainability, circular economy—right up to the point where you start to introduce the value of reusing a part they've already made versus buying another one they want to sell."
Professional automotive recyclers don't just recycle vehicles.
They extend the life of products that have already been manufactured.
That is the circular economy in action.
Changing the Conversation
Despite these contributions, automotive recycling remains one of Canada's most misunderstood industries.
Many people still picture the scrapyards of decades past.
The reality is very different.
Today's professional recyclers operate sophisticated businesses with advanced inventory systems, modern dismantling procedures and audited environmental management practices. They safely manage refrigerants, airbags, batteries, fluids and electronics while returning quality-tested OEM parts back into the marketplace.
Programs like the Canadian Automotive Recyclers Environmental Code (CAREC) have helped establish national environmental standards that distinguish professional recyclers from unregulated operators.
"Hollywood has done us no favours."
Changing that perception is one of the industry's biggest challenges.
Governments need to understand what modern recyclers do.
Insurers need to understand it.
Repairers need to understand it.
Consumers need to understand it.
"We have to tell our story. This is not 1960. This is not a junkyard."
Investing in Tomorrow's Leaders
Preparing the next generation of industry leaders is just as important as preparing for the next generation of vehicles.
Strong associations don't wait for board positions to become vacant before thinking about succession.
They actively identify future leaders, encourage them to become involved and provide opportunities to learn through committees, mentorship and governance.
"You should be looking around and identifying who you think has potential and then recruiting them into a committee."
That philosophy inspired the Ontario Automotive Recyclers Association's Young Leaders Initiative, built around an innovative Shadow Board model.
The program gives emerging leaders from member businesses an opportunity to observe Board meetings, participate in committee work and gain firsthand experience in how a modern industry association operates. By learning alongside experienced volunteers, they develop the knowledge, relationships and confidence needed to become tomorrow's directors and advocates.
Rather than waiting for future leaders to emerge, OARA is intentionally creating a pathway for them.
It's an investment not only in the association, but in the future of the automotive recycling industry itself.
"You don't want an echo chamber."
The strongest organizations combine experience with fresh ideas, ensuring they continue to evolve as the industry evolves.
The Future Is Circular
Automotive recycling has never been more important.
As governments pursue climate objectives, manufacturers redesign vehicles, insurers look for sustainable repair solutions and consumers seek affordable alternatives, professional automotive recyclers have become an essential part of Canada's automotive ecosystem.
The industry is no longer simply managing the end of a vehicle's life.
It is helping define what a truly circular automotive economy looks like.
Professional recyclers recover valuable resources.
They extend the life of original equipment parts. They reduce waste. They lower emissions. They make vehicle ownership more affordable. And they do it every single day.
As the automotive industry continues to evolve, professional recyclers are not asking for special treatment.
They are asking to be recognized as partners.Partners in sustainability. Partners in public policy. Partners in innovation. And partners in building the future of transportation.
Because if Canada is serious about creating a truly circular economy, professional automotive recyclers deserve more than recognition. They deserve a permanent seat at the table.
