subject: Salvage Yards In New Mexico Environmental Concerns [print this page] Salvage yards are a great benefit to the environment. They assist in limiting the amount of scrap and junk being stored in landfills. Although it has been said that they add to the pollution with improper waste management and storage. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other environmental agencies has made it their point of duty to keep the salvage yards informed of the rules and regulation involved with operating a salvage yard. The same way that landfills may pollute via the creation of methane from the decomposition of and organic matter, its the same way salvage yards may pollute the environment. Some of the processes that they carry out cause indirect contamination of underground water supplies. Knowing how this is dangerous, the salvage yards take precaution with how they store the parts or the whole vehicle. A salvage yard normally gets parts from a vehicles that are no longer in use and they are stored in a large room where they are taken apart and inspected. During the process of pulling down these vehicles, there are toxic fluids that are leaking from other areas. This is where licensing comes in for the owners of the salvage yards. This is to ensure that are the proper procedures are followed so that this doesnt happen. Salvage yards are important to us and if the proper storage is put in place then there will be minimal problems surrounding them. There are also regular checks from agencies to make sure that they are always following the rules. This keeps them in line and also protects us and their business from being shut down. Millions of cars are manufactured every year and a third of them will end up in a salvage yard for their parts to be recycled so without them there would be a lot more pollution.
