UK Auto Dismantler Inks Deal with BMW

Charles Trent Ltd., one of the largest automobile dismantler and recycling operations in the United Kingdom, has signed an initiative with BMW to provide disposal services for end of life and scrap BMW and Mini vehicles. The program is in line with the UK’s End of Life Vehicle Regulations from last year.

New partnership ensures that ‘end of life’ BMWs and MINIs are decontaminated and recycled to new EU environmental standards.

This is one of the first agreements to be forged since the End of Life Vehicle Directive became UK law in late last year.

Charles Ambrose, Trent’s Environmental Business Manager, said “We’ve had dialogue with BMW for some years now and I’m absolutely delighted that we’ve now managed to finalize arrangements which will allow us to work together more closely on tackling some very important issues. From my point of view we could not have a better partner. BMW is a premium motor manufacturer and this reflects our own desire, to be seen as the UK’s premier vehicle recycler.

BMW Group has its own state-of the-art vehicle decontamination and recycling facility just outside Munich, Germany, where it processes its test and accident-damaged fleet vehicles.

“This deal has to be viewed in the context of our previous announcement concerning the development of our own nationwide network of take-back and treatment facilities”, says Marc Trent, managing director of Charles Trent Ltd. “We already have full facilities in London, Kent and Poole and by the end of this year we’ll also have a presence in Essex, Nottinghamshire and Teeside. And that’s just the start. We’re still looking for a couple of other sites around London and in the Midlands at the moment.”

Charles Trent also announced that it has established a joint venture with HBC Vehicles Services. The venture brings together an independent salvage company and a recycling company working together in the UK on the national ELV directive.

Under the agreement, Trents will provide additional vehicle depolluting and processing facilities at each HBC site for local authority ‘abandoned vehicle’ contracts, vehicle manufacturer and public disposal.

“We’ve been in discussion with HBC for some time, and I’m very pleased that we’ve now managed to finalize the arrangements. This deal gives us a real nationwide presence, and the ability to offer vehicle manufacturers their own collection and processing network under the requirement of the ELV Directive,” said Marc Trent, managing director.