Recycling Process

Once your old lawn equipment has been picked up by one of Summerhill Impact’s participating Mow Down Pollution recyclers, it will be recycled at their facility in an environmentally responsible way. This recycling process happens in two stages – the pre-treatment drainage of operating fluids and then the recycling of materials.

Stage One – Pre-Treatment

  • Preparation of lawn equipment for dismantling is vital to proper recycling. If present in the reclaimed equipment, the following substances are captured and safely contained: ozone depleting substances, oils, gasoline, diesel fuel, propane, lead, and all by-products and regulated waste of the recycling operation as approved by the provincial governments. It is critical that the draining and proper collection of these substances is performed to prevent groundwater contamination.

Stage Two – Recycling of Materials

  • Once the equipment has been drained, the automotive recycler crushes the lawnmower, along with the vehicles they are recycling. These flattened pieces of equipment are shipped to shredders which pulverize them into fist-sized pieces. The valuable ferrous and non-ferrous metals are removed magnetically, and with complex floatation systems, for re-use in other products. The non-metallic components, known as Auto Shredder Residue (ASR) or fluff, are sent to landfills. ASR is composed of rubber, plastics, fabric, dirt, foam, glass and metal particles. That is why it is critical to ensure that the hazardous components are recovered before the lawnmower is crushed and shredded. Research continues to determine ways to reduce the amount of ASR diverted to landfills, both at the manufacturing and recycling stages.