New Delhi, Aug 4 (IANS) For the first time in India, a recycling facility for used cars was launched in Tamil Nadu, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) said Thursday.


It is an attempt to recover scrap material and spur growth of the automobile industry, SIAM said in a statement.

The facility is a part of global automotive research centre of the ministry of heavy industries in Oragadum near Chennai, the statement said.

"With efficient recycling, India can hope to recover by the year 2020 over 1.5 million tons of steel scrap, 180,000 tons of Alumminum scrap and 75,000 tons each of recoverable plastic and rubber from scrapped automobiles," it said.

"Currently, scrapped vehicles are cut and sold for scrap by low-tech units in the unorganized sector," the statement said adding, crude techniques used by the sector were polluting the environment and recovering low yields.

The statement cited examples of US and Japan where recycling facilities help in the overall growth of automobile industry.

The facility was launched Aug 2.