Abstract for: An Analysis of End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) Recycling in Emerging Economies

The limits to the availability of resources and the environmental effects of improper waste management has increased the need of recovering materials from used products. Vehicles at their end of life become a valuable resource if recycled in environmentally sound manner. Some countries have mandated End-of-Life vehicle (ELV) recycling through legislations. However, the scenario is different in emerging economics where ELV management is predominantly informal. This paper studies the current scenario of ELV recycling in emerging economics through a system dynamics model. The system dynamics model show that, with the informal recycling, the investment in recycling infrastructure and recycling rates will stagnate, which leads to increased stocks of ELVs in an emerging economy and a lost opportunity for material recovery.