Pull-A-Part Receives Georgia Recycling Coalition Award

Atlanta- based Pull-A-Part, an automotive used parts retailer, has been recognized as Georgia’s Outstanding Corporate Leader by the 2008 Georgia Recycling Coalition’s Spirit of Green Awards. This is the first time the Outstanding Corporate Leader award has been given in the history of the Georgia Recycling Coalition, the company says.

“The Georgia Recycling Coalition Spirit of Green Outstanding Corporate Leader Award recognizes businesses that are models in recycling and waste reduction,” says Georgia Recycling Coalition Executive Director Gloria Hardegree. “Pull-A-Part exemplifies environmental stewardship, and demonstrates its corporate responsibility by working to protect not only the land it owns but also the natural resources on which we all depend.”

She continues, “For that reason, we recognized them for making an outstanding contribution to our state and the communities in which they operate.”         

With three locations in Georgia (north Atlanta, south Atlanta and Augusta) and construction being completed on a fourth, Pull-A-Part helps keep abandoned vehicles off neighborhood streets, creates new systems to ensure safe drainage and recycles all fluids and hazardous materials remaining in the vehicles it processes, according to the company.

The company also voluntarily participates in the National Vehicle Mercury Switch Removal Program by removing mercury switches from end-of-life vehicles, and is responsible for recovering more than 70 percent of the mercury switches in Georgia. This process reduces the chance mercury will escape into the air and filter into the water supply when the vehicles are scrapped for steel.

“It’s important to us that Pull-A-Part play a role in the protection of Georgia’s natural resources, especially in the conservation of the state’s water supply, which is why we remove mercury switches from every vehicle we receive,” says Pull-A-Part Senior Vice President Steve Levetan. “In Georgia, Pull-A-Part’s efforts to recover mercury switches have prevented potential water contamination of more than 5.5 billion gallons of water, or enough water to fill an 860-acre, 20-foot deep lake.”

Additionally, Pull-A-Part significantly reduces landfill waste in Georgia, the company says. The company’s Georgia facilities recycle an average of 3,000 tons of automobiles each month, preventing more than 4.25 million pounds of waste from entering Georgia landfills. Each location also recycles thousands of lead-acid batteries and approximately 50,000 gallons of oil, gasoline, brake fluid, transmission fluid and antifreeze each year.