Operational characteristics and performance evaluation of the ELV recycling industry in Taiwan

In order to realize a circulative society, enhancement on resource productivity has been sought in many ways to upgrade the recycling industry, such as implementing governmental regulations, building up control and management schemes, and improving treatment technologies. While some positive progresses have been achieved, the information on operational conditions of recycling business is seldom addressed. This study tries to examine the operational characteristics of recycling and treatment industry for end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) in Taiwan and its relationship to recycling performance. Geographical relationship between dismantlers and shredding plants are discussed to demonstrate the influence of market size on a self-sustained recycling system. Information on 22 out of the 245 registered dismantlers and five shredding plants were retrieved from official database and on-site visits were conducted to confirm the data regarding basic setup, facility capacity, and operational conditions of the selected business. Indicators representing production capacity and power efficiency were postulated for performance analysis. Monthly production capacities of the dismantlers surveyed in this study ranged 0.17–73.14units/worker and that of the shredding plants was 67.87units/worker in average. Power efficiencies of the shredding plants were found in the range of 42.82–56.61kg of ELV processed/kWh, or 17.66–23.36kWh/ton. For shredding plants, power efficiency decreased with increase of power consumption and lower recycling rate likely happened at lower production rates. This study introduces a preliminary approach to examine the operational characteristics of ELV recycling business which can be useful in planning of ELV recycling strategy. It is suggested that existing shredding plants and dismantlers need to enhance their competitiveness by improving the operational performance. Energy management in the ELV shredding plants deserves more attentions for future improvement.