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Near us there's a "vehicle recycling centre". Why don't they just call it a scrap yard like they used to?
Last edited by: L'escargot on Tue 12 Jul 11 at 08:48
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If I had to guess, it would be to do with the recycling / end of life regulations for cars today, which are pretty strict. The proportion of a vehicle that's recycled is logged, and the remainder has to be disposed of in a particular way. Even fluids have to be drained and disposed of in the correct way. "Recycling Centre" is a much more accurate description of the activity of these places, and is more in tune with modern legislation, and of course consumer attitudes.
Of course vehicles have always been recycled, but nowadays it is much more strictly regulated. The days of piles of rotting cars leaking heaven-knows-what into the ground water, and people clambering over them to take off parts are long gone. Buying parts from a modern vehicle dismantler / recycling centre requires no more effort or exertion than walking into a dealer spares department. Everything inventoried, tagged, and taken off the shelf when you ask for it.
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There was a programme on the Discovery channel recently about breaking up cars. They showed a huge American yard and a huge UK one. Here, we prinnied about with syringes to get the oil out of the shock absorbers, had extractors to pick up brake dust and sealed fluid capture facilities.
In the States they got a big digger and smashed the thing to bits with the bucket, put the remains in a giant heap and threw the whole lot through a shredder the size of Edinburgh, which seemed to sort the metal from the rest. Fluids just seemed to go everywhere.
They didn't bother with hard hats either.
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I happened to be gazing over the fence into a 'recycling centre' the other day and thinking how different things are now. It seems you can strip hulks, sell the sorted bits and then crush them but not leave them for the rest of us to pick over any more.
The dog looked as nasty as ever though.
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Ah the good old Junkyard dog! What a special breed, I have a great fondness for them.
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Europeans forget what a primitive country much of America is. There are pockets of sophistication in the northeast, northern California, and a few university towns like Austin; much of the rest retains its attachment to God (in thuggish, smite-happy Old Testament form), guns and 1950s technology. We have the Ford Focus, they have the F150; even a basic European washing machine is sleek and near-silent, while they have their clattering, rumbling Maytags.
My experience is that the environmental attitude goes with the infantile fundamentalism: their god gave them the earth and it's theirs to treat as they like. Any similarities to delinquent 'chosen people' nations in other parts of the world may or may not be coincidental.
I'm caricaturing, of course, and I've had the pleasure of knowing and working with plenty of educated, thoughtful, liberal-minded Americans. But I've seen some horrors too - attitudes no more tolerant of social or religious diversity than those of the Taliban their nation is fighting against.
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For heaven's sake WDB!
Yesterday you were slagging off people in council houses in stereotypical manner. Today, Americans are the target, with the cliched "but some of my best friends are...... " disclaimer at the end.
Is there anybody that you do like?
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As I often point out to my son, I'm not prejudiced - I hate everyone equally.
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"Vehicle recycling centres" - DP
