Imagine going through a buffet line but instead of being armed with a knife and fork, you have a screw driver, wrench and some other trusty tools. In this instance, it won’t be your taste buds rejoicing but rather your vehicle and your pocketbook.  Welcome to the buffet line at Pull-A-Part (PAP), a discounted used auto parts superstore where customers bring their own tools and take parts off the cars themselves.

Founded in 1997, Atlanta-based Pull-A-Part is the first and best step in the auto recycling process. They purchase vehicles that would normally be abandoned. Each of PAP’s 16 facilities has about 2,000 cars. No vehicle stays at a facility longer than 60 to 90 days and each location will recycle between 10,000 and 12,000 cars per year. Upon purchasing the cars, PAP removes the fluids, batteries and mercury switches, which are then recycled. Over 50,000 gallons of automotive fluid are recycled each year. Also interesting to note is that PAP serves as a leader in the National Vehicle Mercury Switch Removal Program (NVMSRP). PAP has been responsible for removing over one million switches across the 50 states. Each of these switches contains ap-proximately one gram of mercury, which, if not recovered and recycled, would be emitted into the air when the scrap is melted. One gram of mercury is enough to contaminate 132,000 gallons of water. Pull-A-Part has now recovered enough switches to prevent over 115 pounds of mercury from entering the environment. So big was this milestone that Stephen Johnson, administrator for the EPA, removed the one millionth switch himself. ...

You need to register to view the rest of the article. Click here to subscribe.