Top prices paid for your end of life vehicles and all types of scrap metal.

Barry Metal Recycling are 30 years in the metal recycling business.

Thinking of scrapping your old car? Here's what you need to know and do

There comes a time in most relationships when you realise you have to move on.

With an older car it might start with frequent breakdowns, repeatedly heavy repair bills or a major fault like a head gasket failure that means the car has come to the end of the road.

But when it comes to moving on from a knackered old motor, there's a lot of conflicting advice out there. For example, there's the possibility of using it as a part-exchange with a dealer when buying your next car.

However, that can mean getting less than the car is worth, as the dealer will have to cover the cost of shifting it.

A more straightforward option is the scrapyard (or Authorised Treatment Facility, as they're called these days).

Approximately 160,000 cars a year are scrapped in Ireland, most of them between 10-16 years old. Scrap prices were low in the late 1990s and early 2000s and there was a rise in abandoned vehicles as motorists had to pay to have them taken off their hands.

Now, although scrap prices have been on a downward trend for a while, you could get around €50 on average but it could be up to €150, depending on the type of car.

Firstly, to ensure that your car is recycled in line with Irish Government regulations. These days, it's not just about extracting the value of the scrap metal - there is an official target of 95pc for car recycling.

The regulations are there to ensure that hazardous materials such as oil, tyres and batteries are disposed of correctly and don't end up damaging the environment.

You should only scrap your car at a scrap car recycling centre with an Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF) licence - the licence requires businesses to invest substantially in the necessary equipment and buildings to deal with the cars properly. It's a criminal offence to recycle a scrap car without an environmental permit. Only scrap car recycling centres with ATF licences are able to issue an Certificate of Destruction (CoD) for a vehicle.

You can drop off your car at our recycling centre or use the free collection service - ideal for cars without tax, insurance or an NCT certificate.

Unfortunately, despite the government's efforts there are still unlicensed operators throughout Ireland who will readily accept scrap vehicles.

Ways to spot these include companies that only give out mobile numbers, those with badly constructed, out-of-date websites and those that don't issue genuine Certificates of Destruction, instead offering fraudulent ones called a Destruction Certificate, Certificate of Disposal or something similar.

The importance of getting a genuine CoD is vital to ensure the admin side of parting company with your old motor is handled correctly. Most of us know how important it is to get the paperwork sorted properly when selling a car.

If there's a minimum of three complete months road tax left on your car, you can get a refund for any full months that remain.

You will need to get the Form RF120 signed/stamped at a Garda Station, and present it, along with the Certificate of Destruction at your local motor tax office.

It's also important to call your car insurers and let them know your car has been scrapped. They'll generally give you the option of either transferring any funds you hold with them towards insuring your next vehicle, or giving you a refund for any unused months.

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