• We get fossil fuel vehicles off the road, permanently. They are dismantled and shredded, not recycled in the traditional way where parts are sold to keep other older polluting vehicles on the road. SCRAP-IT is truly an end-of-life program.
• If you trade in your older fossil fuel vehicle for a qualifying vehicle under the CleanBC program at a dealership, chances are the dealer will sell that vehicle at auction. This practice keeps the fossil fuel vehicle on the road for someone else to drive and pollute.
• The Zero Emission Vehicles Act requires automakers to meet escalating percentages of light-duty ZEV sales and leases by the identified milestone years. The legislation’s goal is to ensure the Province’s greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets are met. We support this but we also believe it is reasonable to say that every fossil fuel vehicle permanently removed off the roads in BC will support increased progress toward the GHG reduction target and improve the overall results.
• If the overarching issue is climate change (hence the need to reduce GHG emissions) it makes sense to remove ANY fossil fuel burning vehicle off the road permanently. It is now commonly known that 28% of carbon emissions come from the transportation sector. SCRAP-IT is one of the key programs in BC that directly addresses this issue.
• SCRAP-IT actively reduces CO2 emissions from the transportation sector by taking currently registered and insured operating vehicles off the road. Every fossil fuel vehicle that is permanently removed takes us 1 step closer to the goal of 100% light-duty electric vehicle sales by 2035.
• We track and calculate the emission reductions between all vehicles – the scrapped vehicle and the replacement vehicle. With that data we can accurately calculate CO2 emission reductions.
• We ensure the proper recycling of vehicle components in accordance with the Canadian Auto Recyclers’ Environmental Code (CAREC), and we go one step further by requiring complete and final destruction.
• Proper recycling prevents multiple hazardous materials from entering the environment like mercury switches, toxic fluids like solvents, windshield fluid and gas.
• Shredded metal from vehicles is sold into secondary metal markets. It may return to your household as a toast or even a coffee maker.

There are many economic and financial benefits related to our program. Below is just one good example.

• SCRAP-IT transactions generate PST revenue for the province. Our program entices residents to make the decision they might not have otherwise made. If you read our Google Reviews (bottom), you will see how many people credit our program as part of their decision-making process.
• Every time someone scraps a vehicle with us and buys a new one, they are paying taxes on the new vehicle, including Provincial Sales Tax.

SCRAP-IT can convert a $4 million grant from the BC Provincial Government into $11.5 million dollars in PST revenue for the province.

Here’s how:

• We have scrapped over 50,000 vehicles in BC, and we have a significant database of information about each one of those transactions. Since 2015 we have been offering rebates for scrap to electric vehicle transactions, and up to the end of 2020, we completed over 6,000 transactions. From this data set, we are able to confirm the following:
  • The average purchase price of replacement new clean technology vehicles through our program was $45,270.
  • The PST varies according to the purchase price, and can be anywhere from 7% to 10%. The PST rate for this price point is 12%.
  • This means that on average our customers paid $5,432.00 in PST on their new vehicle purchases.
    • It should be noted that the point-of-sale discount on vehicles purchased at a dealer is applied AFTER the PST calculation. In other words, the point-of-sale discount does not reduce the amount of PST the customer pays.
    • SCRAP-IT customers are paid a rebate, after the transaction is complete, and does not influence the PST that is applicable. SCRAP-IT customers can use that rebate for anything they like, for example, to pay down the vehicle loan (if there is one) or cover insurance costs, or even to purchase and install and electric vehicle charging system.
  • If (for example) the BC provincial government provided us with a $4 million grant, we could offer:
    • 2,000 BC residents’ rebates of $2,000 to scrap their vehicle for a qualifying new one.
    • 2,000 rebates x $2,000 = $4 million
    • These 2,000 transactions would (on average) generate $11,464,000 in PST revenue for the province.
    • 2,000 x $5,432 PST = $11,464,000
  • Your tax dollars can do more than one thing. Sure, they can fund clean technology vehicles, but they can also fund environmentally focused programs like SCRAP-IT.

Vehicle Safety

Newer Cars Are Safer Cars

This report is US-based but logically applies to vehicles sold in Canada as well.

• Old vehicles were built to less stringent safety standards, and their safety deteriorates with age.
• New vehicles are built to better standards, and they have not deteriorated.
• Safer vehicles are less likely to be involved in accidents, and when they are involved, their occupants are better protected, thus leading to less severe injuries, less expensive medical care, and lower insurance payouts.

Public Health

Study Suggests Each Electric Car Brings Nearly $10,000 in Social Benefits

Air pollution likely to make coronavirus worse, say UK government advisers

• Improved air quality leads to improved public health, thus lowering overall pressure on the health system.
• Improved road safety reduces accidents and reduces need for emergency care and long-term care.
• Increased bicycle use provides exercise and improves health.
• Safe removal and disposal of toxic components from recycled vehicles lowers the probability of public exposure and subsequent chronic health problems.