It has never been easier to scrap a car, and there have never been so many good reasons to get rid of unreliable old bangers from your life for good.

The recession has been responsible for a lot of hardship and heartache, and has offered people in the UK very little to celebrate. Improvements have been pretty thin on the ground, but in certain sectors we are now witnessing encouraging signs. We have not coined the phrase, 'necessity is the mother for invention' without good reason, and for those with an optimistic outlook, regardless of circumstance, who also possess a modicum of opportunistic instinct, can actually prosper. The general levels of difficulty that we are experiencing in the UK at present mean that we are being presented with unique challenges. It is essentially an opportunity to revise our approach to life and adopt new perspectives when considering what we deem to be truly important.

One of the most encouraging aspects of these new developments has to be the way in which we are valuing waste materials. Instead of continuing to mass produce, without any perceivable concern for the environment, industry as a whole is beginning to show signs of appreciating the significant savings that can be made in their processes by integrating the use of recycled materials. In recent times we have seen the market value of scrap materials escalate at dramatic rates, with some of the largest increases being reserved for scrap metals. And a quick look at the factors that are prompting this trend reveals why this is something that is likely to continue way beyond the economic recovery. There are two factors that are essentially prompting this new development, the first being that the costs of exploiting ore are continually rising as it becomes increasingly more difficult to reach deeper into the earth to extract these minerals. The second development has been born of a growing consciousness around the need to recycle, which has prompted the creation of a much more effective network of recycling facilities making the cost of recycling fall dramatically in recent years. The fact that recycling infrastructure is now a commercially viable reality means that we are unlikely to return to less environmentally sound means of production once the recession is behind us.

Economies of scale are ultimately a lot more cost effective than cottage industry, particularly where they support manufacturers of mass produced goods such as car manufacturers and white goods producers. But, once we have created a sophisticated network to cash in on the advantages of having an economy of scale, it is essential to keep on feeding the machine for it to remain feasible. This means that the scrap metal recycling plants need a steady flow of waste to justify its existence.

The onus is on the consumer to dispose of waste on a more conscious level, which can often prove onerous and time consuming. But vital links between the consumer and the recycling plants have been created to ensure swift delivery and processing of waste. The councils are doing their bit to ease the burden, but there is a limit to what can be achieved at a municipal level. This is where NGO's come to the fore. Certain charities and social enterprises have been quick off the starting block to bridge the gap even further.

Giveacar is one such social enterprise set up to expedite the process of dealing with the problems of disposing of non-household waste. They provide an essential service to car owners by offering free collection of redundant vehicles which are then processed to the highest industry standards - something that many commercial scrap merchants cannot claim. So, not only can the consumer dispose of a car with a clear conscience, but they can also support the good work of an organisation that delivers the proceeds of the scrap car to a charity of the donor's choice.