The huge number of cars in the United States has led to a huge number of car dumps in the country. And if in 2008 the number of cars in the United States was about 250 million, then by 2021 this number has increased by 30%.
By the beginning of 2019, there were 325 million vehicles in the country and the number is constantly growing. Car dumps are usually located on the outskirts of cities or in desert areas. Entry to landfills is strictly controlled.
Use Google to identify all auto junkyards in your area. Type “junkyards near me”, and Google Maps will display your local options…
American car dumps are not only large-scale parking lots of broken and rusty cars but also cars in satisfactory condition with working parts. Cars are grouped by brand and assigned to each car a serial number, which indicates the model and year of manufacture.
Usually, cars end up in a junkyard in two ways:
- The yankyards’ owners themselves buy old or broken cars.
- Or they get wrecked cars from insurance companies.
In the USA, after a car accident, the insurance inspector evaluates the damage and determines the future fate of the car. If the car is beyond repair and restoration, the owner receives insurance payments, and the car is sent to a landfill.
In most cases, damaged cars are written off if the cost of their repair approaches the cost of the vehicle itself.
There are two types of landfills in the USA
Full-service junkyard. The client arrives for disassembly and makes a request. The employees of the junkyard search for the right car or spare parts in the database. The client immediately receives a response about the availability of the required kit.
The maintenance staff also helps with further disassembly of the machine and transportation. Disadvantage: high prices for cars. The price list includes the price for the machine or spare parts, as well as the cost of services.
Self-service junkyard. The client independently searches for a car and spare parts. Such junkyards do not have a database, and the service personnel does not provide additional services or even tools. But these junkyards are cheap.
The largest car yards in the US
While most people are looking to get rid of old cars, junkyard owners are actively looking to buy old broken cars for parts. Recycling in the United States is a $22 billion-a-year industry. Approximately 13 million vehicles are recycled in the USA every year.
There are a lot of junkyards in the USA. The biggest ones are:
French Lake Auto Parts MN, CTC Auto Ranch in TX, Wildcat Auto Wrecking OR, All Bikes Salvage Yard AZ, Turner’s Auto Wrecking CA, Pinal Airpark AZ, Steven’s Performance Salvage Yard AL, Old Car City GA, Mojave Air, and Space Port CA, Corvair Ranch PA, etc.
Old Car City in Atlanta
Old Car City in Atlanta seems to be the largest car dump in the world. This car dump appeared in the 50s of the last century. Today, here you can find rare copies of cars, trucks, agricultural machinery, buses, motorcycles, and modern cars.
The landfill occupies an area of 14 hectares, which has been covered with forest for more than half a century, and is now a museum of old cars. To enter the territory of the automobile cemetery, you must purchase a ticket.
M&M Auto Salvage in Ruckersville VA
M&M Auto Salvage in Ruckersville VA is one of the largest auto salvage yards in the US. Here you can find spare parts in good condition. Among the piles of metal are worthy specimens, new spare parts, and modern cars with minor damage.
Vehicles decommissioned by the US Insurance Institute for Highway Traffic Safety are brought to the territory of M&M auto salvage. The car may end up in a junkyard after an accident or after crash testing.
Motorcycle Cemetery in Upstate New York
Near the Erie Canal, in Lockport, New York, there is a warehouse that has become a legend in the biker community.
The warehouse once belonged to a man who owned bike dealerships. He bought motorcycles all over the country, engines, frames, mufflers, wheels, and everything that had to do with motorcycles and was suitable for subsequent resale.
In the 90s, he sold the building, along with all staff to another motorcycle enthusiast named Frank.
Frank continued the business, but by 2010 the building began to fall into disrepair and collapse. Frank had no money for expensive repairs.
A trial followed, and Frank was given a month to remove all property. He sold and took everything he could from the building, but there were so many spare parts that there was simply nowhere to put them, and much had to be left to rot inside.
When the month allocated by the court ended, the building became the property of the city, they closed the doors and put a lock on them, and they simply forgot about the motorcycles inside.
After part of the roof collapsed, the city authorities forbade access to the premises and then decided to take the building for themselves along with all staff due to non-payment of property tax.
Photos of this amazing abandoned junkyard first appeared in April 2010 on Flickr, and all fans rushed there in an attempt to find rare motorcycles and spare parts for them.
Amazing dump city “Iron Triangle” right under New York
There is a small area in New York called Willets Point. But many locals know this place as the “Iron Triangle”, or simply “The Junkyard”. And more than half of New Yorkers are not even aware of this place.
This area is a global dump of garbage and abandoned dismantled cars. In the early 20th century, this shore of the bay was used to dump industrial waste. Every day, about 100 wagons of ash and slag were dumped into this area.
But then this burial ground was closed and abandoned.
Over time, car dumps, recycling, recycling centers, and car services began to appear here.