CONTENTSResults
of Environmental Conservation Activities in Fiscal 2004Disposal
and Recycling (3R) DomainEnd-of-Life
Products
End-of-Life Products
|
Main
targets for
fiscal 2004 in Japan |
Main
achievements
in fiscal 2004 in Japan |
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To promote the establishment of a recycling system | |
Launched recycling systems for automobiles and motorcycles | |
Automobiles
End-of-Life Vehicle Recycling Law
On January 1, 2005, the Law for the Recycling of End-of-Life
Vehicles (End-of-Life Vehicle Recycling Law) was fully enforced
in Japan. This law is intended to promote environmental conservation
and the effective use of resources by implementing measures to
ensure the proper and smooth recycling of end-of-life vehicles.
Under the law, automobile manufacturers are obliged to collect
and properly dispose of the following three items: CFCs that
are used as air conditioner refrigerants and would destroy the
ozone layer and contribute to global warming if emitted into
the air; airbags that are difficult to dispose of because of
their explosive nature; and automobile shredder residue that
remain after the collection of useful materials from end-of-life
vehicles. The End-of-Life Vehicle Recycling Law involves a lot
of companies—as shown in the diagram below—and to comply
with this law, Honda will take the leading role as a responsible
automobile manufacturer. Also, to ensure environmental conservation
through the recycling of automobiles, we will further enhance
recycling measures throughout an automobile’s entire life
cycle, from development using designs for recycling to disposal
as an end-of-life vehicle. These measures include the establishment
of a recycling system with the goal of attaining 95% recycle
rate by 2015.
Recycling Fees
Honda has set its recycling fees in such a way that the cost
of properly disposing and recycling its products will be properly
covered while the cost to be paid by customers will be minimized.
For Honda’s recycling fees, please go to the following Web site:
For Honda’s recycling fees, please go to the following Web site:
http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-recycle/Measures concerning the Three Items
CFCs
For CFCs contained in automobile air conditioners, we have established
a system of properly disposing them without emitting them into
the air. We are implementing this system and outsourcing the CFC
recovery, transportation, and destruction processes to Japan Auto
Recycling Partnership.
Also, we will reduce the quantity of CFCs contained in automobile air conditioners and develop air conditioners that will not use CFCs.
Also, we will reduce the quantity of CFCs contained in automobile air conditioners and develop air conditioners that will not use CFCs.
Airbags
It is necessary to properly recycle inflators for airbags, which
are safety equipment used in automobiles. There are two recycling
methods: (1) remove the inflators from the module and recycle them
at designated facilities and (2) deploy the airbags inside the
end-of-life vehicles and then recycle the inflators. It depends
on the dismantling company which method to adopt, but Honda intends
to recommend the in-vehicle deployment of airbags for recycling
in cooperation with dismantling companies while developing tools
and equipment required for this method. We have applied a system
of simultaneously deploying all airbags in a vehicle, as opposed
to deploying them one by one, to models released in the market
in 1998 and onwards. Almost all Honda vehicles are now equipped
with this system.
This system greatly reduces the burden on dismantling companies. We are promoting the airbag and inflator collection and recycling processes in cooperation with Japan Auto Recycling Partnership, outsourcing these processes to this organization.
This system greatly reduces the burden on dismantling companies. We are promoting the airbag and inflator collection and recycling processes in cooperation with Japan Auto Recycling Partnership, outsourcing these processes to this organization.
Automobile shredder residue (ASR)
End-of-life vehicles are dismantled and then shredded by shredding
equipment. Scrap metal is removed from the shredded pieces, and
the remains are left as automobile shredder residue (ASR). Automobile
makers are now accepting and recycling ASR. For the efficient and
reliable recycling of ASR, Honda has formed the TH Team with Toyota
Motor Corporation; Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd.; and Hino Motors, Ltd.
We outsource the actual recycling of ASR to the ASR Recycling Division
of Toyotsu Recycling Co., Ltd. In December 2004, Honda made a 3%
investment in this recycling company to further promote the recycling
of ASR.
The End-of-Life Vehicle Recycling Law provides for phase-by-phase improvements in ASR recycling (a recycling rate of 30% by 2005, 50% by 2010, and 70% by 2015), and Honda will implement measures to comply with these criteria before the given deadlines. We will reduce weight of new models to reduce the generation of ASR and develop materials that will not emit harmful substances when incinerated.
The End-of-Life Vehicle Recycling Law provides for phase-by-phase improvements in ASR recycling (a recycling rate of 30% by 2005, 50% by 2010, and 70% by 2015), and Honda will implement measures to comply with these criteria before the given deadlines. We will reduce weight of new models to reduce the generation of ASR and develop materials that will not emit harmful substances when incinerated.
Achievements in Fiscal 2004
Honda completed all preparations to comply with the End-of-Life
Vehicle Recycling Law by December 2004 and started operations related
to the law, which was fully enforced on January 1, 2005. We properly
dispose of and recycle CFCs, airbags, and ASR using the recycling
fees paid by customers.
Honda provides information to relevant companies and monitors the disposal of the three items to ensure nothing goes wrong.
Honda provides information to relevant companies and monitors the disposal of the three items to ensure nothing goes wrong.
Achievements regarding the Three Items
CFCs
From January to March, we recovered 5,304 kg of CFCs from 15,166
end-of-life vehicles. CFCs include both CFC, which was used for
air conditioners till the first half of 1990s, and HFC, and of
the recovered CFCs, 54% were CFC.
Recovered CFCs are stored in steel bottles and transported to destruction facilities. Because dismantling companies store CFCs until they have collected a predefined amount, the number of vehicles from which CFCs were recovered was small in January 2005, as shown in the following graph.
Recovered CFCs are stored in steel bottles and transported to destruction facilities. Because dismantling companies store CFCs until they have collected a predefined amount, the number of vehicles from which CFCs were recovered was small in January 2005, as shown in the following graph.
Airbags
Among the end-of-life vehicles disposed from January to March
2005, 3,761 were equipped with airbags, 85.4% of which were deployed
before being removed from the vehicle. Also, we recovered inflators
from 550 vehicles, and 94.5% of them were recycled.
Automobile shredder residue (ASR)
End-of-life vehicles are shredded in their final treatment process,
and therefore it takes time from the acceptance of end-of-life
vehicles to the disposal of ASR. The number of vehicles from which
ASR was generated was almost zero in January 2005. We, however,
accepted an increased number of end-of-life vehicles in February
and March. The number of end-of-life vehicles to which Article
28 (disposal of shredder residue) and Article 31 (100% recycling
without ASR) of the End-of-Life Vehicle Recycling Law applied totaled
21,758. We achieved a 53.2% ASR recycling rate for vehicles covered
by Articles 28 and 31 of the law.
ASR is used as energy resources, and slugs are effectively used as road construction materials.
ASR is used as energy resources, and slugs are effectively used as road construction materials.
