DETROIT — In a first among U.S. automakers, General Motors announced today it is making its vehicle recycling information easily accessible by posting the manuals to its web site.
GM's End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) manuals are available at gmability.com , the company's corporate stewardship site.
"ELV manuals provide automotive dismantlers with information on which parts of a vehicle can be recycled," said Terry Cullum, Director of GM Global Design for Environment. "Currently, 75 percent of a car is recyclable because the majority of it is metal. But few plastics on vehicles are recycled due to lack of information out there for the dismantlers. With ELV manuals now easily accessible, there's potential to significantly increase the percentage of the vehicle that is recycled.
"These manuals provide the basis for increasing the recycling of plastics and other materials not currently recycled," Cullum said.
He said posting ELV manuals on gmability.com is part of the corporation's overall sustainability effort to balance business, social and environmental goals.
"We're hoping to encourage more efficient recycling of materials from end-of-life vehicles," said Cullum. "Dismantlers will benefit from the detailed dismantling information that we are providing on the web."