Cars 4 Causes - Clean Air Program

Even though Cars 4 Causes^® gets 350 to 500 smogged and road-ready cars per month we receive many vehicles that are more valuable as scrap metal for recycling. These type of vehicles have reached the end of their life cycle and need to be repurposed. Our next best option is to recycle them.

Surprisingly, these recycled cars become some of your most familiar household items, such as, faucets, door knobs, bicycles, refrigerators and stove parts. In fact, as you go through your day, many of the items you're likely to touch are made from recycled car metal. To date, Cars 4 Causes^® has directed more than 38,000 donated vehicles through The Cars 4 Clean Air^®Program to be recycled.

Recycling your old car eliminates the risk of polluting the earth, water and air with potentially dangerous elements that break down and contaminate our environment. Recycling your car donation helps reduce energy usage and the consumption of fresh raw materials. Did you know that...?

• Six recycled cars yields enough steel to construct a new steel framed house;
• One gallon of motor oil can contaminate one million gallons of water;
• Reclaimed motor oil can be used in power plants; and
• Recycled tires can be used for erosion control, landscaping and as rubberized asphalt on roads and running tracks.

Our Cars 4 Clean Air^® Program directs cars that have reached the end of their lifecycle to be repurposed into something useful. But we're committed to getting more from each of Cars 4 Clean Air^® car donation to help the environment and educate our children and young adults about environmental awareness. That's why starting October 1, 2010, for every donated vehicle sold though our Cars 4 Clean Air^® Program, Cars 4 Causes^® is committing a portion of the proceeds it receives from those donated vehicle sales to The Students Conservation Association, to support their youth oriented environmental awareness and education program.

So, while the vehicle you donate may not have any value in its current form, Cars 4 Causes'^® Cars 4 Clean Air^® Program can help transform it responsibly to benefit the environment, provide other useful household items and educate our youth about environmental issues.

Cars 4 Causes^® Clean Air Program News Releases

Charity Saves California $10 Million While Reducing Greenhouse Gases

Reducing pollution wasn't the first mandate for Cars 4 Causes®, a charitable organization, but it has become one of its great successes. When the group accepts car donations for charities, it screens out high smog-producers, recycling them off the road.

Ventura, CA, August 28, 2007 In a win-win situation, Cars 4 Causes^® estimates that it has saved the State of California approximately $10 million over the last five years and at the same time passed proceeds on to charity organizations.

"We've saved California about $10 million by saving it from having to pay its promised bounty on cars that could not be repaired," says Pat Jessup, Executive Director of Cars 4 Causes^®, through its Consumer Assistance Program, the state's Bureau of Automotive Repair offers $800 to $1,000 for cars or vehicles that meet the program's criteria.

Over the last five years, Cars 4 Causes^® has recycled an estimated 20,000 old cars. The recycled vehicles are just a small portion of the car donations that the charitable organization processes. It also receives about 600 car donations per month that are repaired, smogged and sold, with proceeds going to charities chosen by the cars' donors.

"We don't think that all of the cars we recycled would have met every criterion to be included in the state's bounty program, but even a conservative estimate - just half of the cars we've taken off the road gives us an estimated $10 million savings for the State of California. And we feel good about that," says Jessup. "We know we're taking the vehicles off the road, and we're giving car donors an avenue to give to the charity of their choice."

The Cars 4 Causes^® Clean Air Program evolved out of its original mandate of providing car owners with an easy means of donating their vehicles to charities. Some of the donated automobiles could not be repaired to smog-acceptance levels.

Faced with the question of what to do with those cars, Cars 4 Causes^® came up with its Clean Air Program. Through it, the organization tows the vehicles, scraps and recycles them, and passes proceeds on to the donor's choice of charity, church, synagogue, school, or organization.

Cars 4 Causes,® "The Charity that Gives to Charities"® is an IRS Code 501(c)(3) charity. We are America's 1st vehicle donation charity. Cars 4 Causes® is expert at turning donated vehicles into cash for charities. We are the most trusted name in vehicle donations. Proceeds from tax-deductible vehicle donations go to qualifying non-profits. Read our Vehicle Donation FAQ's to see how Cars 4 Causes® works for you!

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