New life for old cars

By Lia Bichel
Total Auto Recyclers has become an industry leader in environmentally responsible auto recycling.
The business has had several names including Mazsport and All Jap Auto Parts and its current operations are known as Jolly’s U-Pull-It as well as Total Auto Recyclers.
Cars are inspected and barcoded at Total Auto Recyclers. This allows customers to select a make, model and age of a vehicle on a computer system at Jolly’s U-Pull-It to find specific car parts.
Managing director of the joint operation Michael Third said he and the staff were passionate about the work they did, which was one of the reasons he felt Total Auto Recyclers was a successful business.
“I am passionate about auto recycling. It has always been an interest of mine,” he said.
“The staff are also passionate about the work they do.”
Mr Third became an executive board member of the Auto Parts Recyclers Association of Australia (APRAA) and during his time on he board established an industry accreditation program. Total Auto Recyclers was among the first to gain APRAA accreditation at the highest five star level.
Five years ago, Total Auto Recyclers built a first facility of its kind in the southern hemisphere. The facility allows for the responsible recycling of End of Life Vehicles (ELV) and allows the business to recover many potentially dangerous items from the vehicles. The company has invested heavily in equipment and machinery to ensure the removal of items in an environmentally responsible manner.
Total Auto Recyclers has also achieved International Standard of Organisation (ISO) 9000 for quality management as well as ISO 14001 for environmental management. The business also has systems in place to measure recoveries of air-conditioning gas and other fluids.
Mr Third said he was proud of the company’s achievements and hoped other companies in the industry would follow Total Auto Recyclers in practicing environmentally friendly processes.
“I enjoy being part of an organisation that has such high values and am proud that we have been able to achieve industry benchmarks,” he said.
“We hope it becomes more economically viable so we can continue to achieve high standards. I also hope the industry becomes regulated so the community doesn’t have to put up with businesses whose works damage the environment.”
The business recycles 500 cars per month in an environmentally manner and currently employs 26 employees.