As part of its commitment to meeting ELV recycling and re-use obligations, SMMT is to play a key role in a new study into the re-use of plastics in car making. The DTI Technology Programme has awarded a £250,000 grant to fund a team of researchers and engineers at the University of Exeter which will lead a consortium of industry and academia.

The study will investigate the best way to re-use plastics, which make up nine to 12 per cent of every vehicle. Many of these specialist plastics are often difficult to recycle in the conventional way. By 2006, EU legislation requires that 85 per cent of a vehicle is either recycled or re-used. By 2015 that will rise to 95 per cent. As recyclable metals only make up 76 per cent of the average passenger car, the challenge is to make the recycling of other components technically feasible and economically viable.

Other partners besides the SMMT in the Exeter University study include SIMS Metals, Menzolit, Mitras Automotive, The British Plastics Federation, Brunel University, SP Technologies Ltd and European Friction Industries.