Summerhill Impact’s commitment to the environmental management of end-of-life vehicles (ELV) began with the establishment of Car Heaven in 2000. ELV management programs have grown in scale and scope, to include Switch-Out, Retire Your Ride, the development of the Canadian Auto Recyclers’ Environmental Code and the continuation of Car Heaven, benefiting Canadian charities.

Vehicles are one of the most recycled items in the world, with over 80% of a vehicle being recyclable. Our goal is to ensure that 100% of end-of-life vehicles are managed in an environmentally sound manner. Through Summerhill Impact’s programs, over 260,800 older higher-polluting vehicles have been retired – so far!

Challenge
RYR was developed to address issues related to air quality and climate change. The program was established to positively impact the environment and the health of Canadians. At the initiation of the program’s development in 2007, there were 4.6 million 1995 model-year and older models on Canada’s roads. Studies had shown that 1995 model-year and older vehicles produce smog up to 19 times that of a new vehicle. In 2010, the program conducted a study of a segment of vehicles retired through the program, and determined that the vehicles were in fact 39 times more smog polluting than a new vehicle.

Strategy
Not for profit organizations (NFPs) were engaged in both the local delivery of the program, as well as securing local incentive partnerships, and marketing and managing the program benefits and the distribution of incentives to regional participants.

This network of NFP organizations were focused and experienced in delivering environmental public education and outreach programming. They continue to be dedicated to improving air quality, addressing climate issues and encouraging the use of sustainable transportation. The following NFPs worked in partnership with RYR:

• Association Québécoise de lutte contre la pollution atmosphérique (AQLPA) in Quebec
• BC Scrap-it in British Columbia
• Clean Nova Scotia (CNS) in Nova Scotia
• Climate Change Central (CCC) in Alberta
• Manitoba Lung Association (MLA) in Manitoba
• New Brunswick Lung Association (NBLA) in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland & Labrador
• Newfoundland & Labrador Lung Association (NLLA) in Newfoundland & Labrador
• Saskatchewan Environmental Society (SES) in Saskatchewan
• Summerhill Impact (SI) in Ontario

Impact of the Program

• The program successfully offered Canadians a reliable, sustainable and accessible program delivery infrastructure to collect vehicles to be retired.
• The program ensured that these vehicles were recycled responsibly, and offered valuable and effective rewards to participants. It raised Canadian awareness about the aging vehicle fleet, sustainable transportation alternatives, and other relevant information about vehicles, their use and associated impact on the environment, and recorded the results.
• Retire Your Ride engaged Canadian drivers in almost every federal riding. The program has retired at least 100 vehicles in every federal riding, except for one northern-provincial riding where we have retired over 60 vehicles, along with the 3 territories – where RYR was not available due to infrastructure challenges.
• The success of RYR is illustrated through public awareness and participation metrics; as well as through the legacy of the Canadian Auto Recyclers’ Environmental Code (the Code), made available to the automotive recycling industry. Please visit: www.carec.ca
• The program exceeded its target of 50,000 recycled vehicles per operational year by removing 138,671 model year 1995 and older vehicles from Canada’s roads within the first 27 months from public launch (January 1st, 2009) to the close of the program (March 31st, 2011).
• 138,671 recycled vehicles equates to reduced emissions of nitrogen oxide (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Total reductions are estimated to be approximately 5,000 tonnes of VOCs and NOx (smog-forming emissions).
• Due to the responsible drainage and removal practices that were required by the Code, RYR was successful in properly capturing over 4.16 million litres of fluids (e.g., oil, gasoline, refrigerants, and antifreeze) that might otherwise have been released to the air, land and water.
• Stakeholder engagement culminated at the National Forum on the Future of Vehicle Recycling in Canada. For the first time, the forum brought together 63 national and international industry association experts, federal and provincial governments, automotive recyclers and processors, vehicle manufacturers and public interest organizations.
• The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) received ARC/CVMA’s proposal for a Canada-wide environmental management program for ELVs and a summary of the key points of stakeholder convergence and practical challenges discussed at the National Forum. CCME’s Environmental Planning and Protection Committee (EPPC) on December 7 established a task group on the issue of ELV management in Canada.
• Summerhill, in partnership with the Automotive Recyclers’ of Canada (ARC), continues to deliver Car Heaven – rewarding and enabling Canadians to get their high-polluting older vehicles permanently off the road, and promotes a shift to cleaner transportation alternatives. Proceeds from the scrappage value of each vehicle go to support Canadian charities – promoting health, protecting the environment and inspiring community involvement. For more information on Car Heaven, its program participants, industry and charitable partners, visit www.carheaven.ca

Summerhill Impact is very proud of the success of the Retire Your Ride program and is committed to ensuring transparency through the financial statement audit process. The financial statements of Summerhill Impact and the Retire Your Ride program were both audited by externally licensed public accountants, who expressed unqualified opinions for the years audited. An audited fund reconciliation, encompassing Years 1 through 3 of the Retire Your Ride program development and execution period, is available through the Combined Summary of Audit Results (317KB PDF).