What happens to junk cars after they are crushed?
Before the crusher, the yard drains the gas, oil, coolant and other fluids and pulls the battery, tires and catalytic converter. Parts it can sell come off too. The flattened car then rides a truck to a shredder, which tears it into fist-sized chunks in under a minute. Magnets pull out the steel, and other separators sort aluminum, copper and other metals. The steel goes to mills that melt it into new steel, often for rebar, beams and more car parts. What is left, mostly foam, plastic, glass and fabric, is called shredder residue, and most of it ends up in a landfill.
Checked Oct 30, 2026