Advice on the disposal of end-of-life or abandoned vehicles

In 2004, a piece of European environmental legislation known as the ‘End of Life Vehicles Directive’ was passed. This stated that all end of life vehicles (including abandoned vehicles) and their associated component parts must be disposed of properly at Authorised Treatment Facilities (ATFs).

Legislation requires that the County Council as Waste Disposal Authority (WDA) be responsible for storage and disposal of abandoned vehicles as well as giving authorities powers to recover the cost of storage and disposal. The district councils as Waste Collection Authorities (WCA) are responsible for collection of abandoned vehicles from the highway and private land.  

If you have a vehicle that you wish to dispose of, you should contact your local district council and they will collect it and arrange for its safe disposal. Click on the link below for where you live, and you will be directed to instructions on what to do next. This is also what you should do if you wish to report an abandoned vehicle in your area.

Links to district websites:

• Basingstoke and Deane
• East Hampshire
• Eastleigh
• Fareham
• Gosport
• Hart
• Havant
• New Forest
• Portsmouth
• Rushmoor
• Southampton
• Test Valley
• Winchester

Other information and advice:

If you have some car parts to dispose of, they can be taken directly to an Authorised Treatment Facility. A full register of sites is provided by the Environment Agency on their website (www.environment-agency.gov.uk) and this, along with details of the legislation, can be found by clicking on the ‘End of Life Vehicles’ section.

You are advised that if your vehicle is untaxed and you are thinking of taking it off the road or disposing of it, you should inform the DVLA. If you do not do this, you are liable for prosecution. See www.dvla.gov.uk for more details.