The State attacks illegal automobile scrapyards and “open-air dumps”

To combat illegal heists, the State plans to conduct systematic checks and will not hesitate to close illegal establishments.

The French government will increase its efforts to eliminate the issue of wild automobile scrapyards, which are considered to be significant threats to the environment.

In 2022, inspectors from the Regional and Interdepartmental Directorate for the Environment, Planning and Transport (DRIEAT), acting as environmental police, identified over thirty of these illegal sites in Île-de-France, according to an investigation by Le Parisien published on October 30.

Authorities Targeting Heists

These illegal scrapyards, where tens of thousands of vehicles evade the approved decontamination process, are contributing to the degradation of the region’s environment.

In Val-d’Oise, local authorities are escalating their efforts to dismantle these installations and have already suspended the activity of some of them.

Inspectors rely on reports from citizens and mayors, as well as the use of technologies such as Google Earth to assess the scale and organization of these clandestine sites.

Environmental Disasters

In addition to the environmental repercussions, the soil surrounding these illegal scrapyards is often contaminated by hydrocarbons from illegal spills of used oil and brake fluids, which can end up in the sewers or directly in the Seine.

The inspectors also highlight the lack of precautions on these sites, as well as the absence of retention or recovery devices that aggravate the situation.

Unfair Competition

Besides the environmental consequences, these illegal scrapyards pose a serious threat to approved automobile scrapyards, creating unfair competition.

These wild sites fuel a parallel economy that can be linked to international networks and criminal activities. The president of the automobile dismantling sector estimates that these illegal scrapyards process between 200,000 and 400,000 vehicles per year, representing more than 15% of the total end-of-life vehicles treated by approved centers in France.

In comparison, approved centers recycle 96% of vehicles, thus achieving the objective set by European regulations.

Read also :
ZFE: they would favor the automobile industry according to some
ZFE radars: how to spot them for sure?
ZFE: what future impacts on our lifestyles?