Modeling of Automotive Recycling Planning in the United States

The United States automotive recycling infrastructure has successfully reduced the amount of automotive waste sent to landfills, especially since the introduction of shredders in the late 1950s. Shredders are necessary to process and recycle automotive hulks and other durable goods. However, this industry faces significant challenges as the automotive manufacturers are increasing the use of nonmetallic components which are difficult to recycle. Additionally, it is becoming obvious that automobiles contain hazardous materials which place heavy burdens on the environment. To address this growing concern, we propose a process planning model for automotive shredders to make tactical decisions regarding at what level to process and at what level to reprocess feed stock materials. The purpose of this paper is to test analytical models to help shredders improve the profitability and efficiency of the bulk recycling processes for end of life automobile returns. The work is motivated by an actual recycling problem that was observed at Capitol City Metals shredding facility in Indianapolis, Indiana.