Cache has
a theme which you may or may not choose to comply
with.
My second cache, this time a little more of a challenge
End-of-life motor vehicles (ELV), or in our case ELG's, are a
significant contributor to waste volumes. Every year, over 500,000
vehicles in Australia reach the end of their life and enter the
waste stream.
The number of ELVs arising in Australia each year is likely to
increase at an escalating rate as the result of a continuing upward
trend in the rate of vehicle ownership, the decreasing average age
of vehicles at end-of-life, the declining cost effectiveness of
owning older vehicles and the declining cost of new cars.
As the number of ELVs continues to increase, the proportion
being recycled will need to be maximised to limit environmental
impacts and resource loss. At the moment, the most common method
for ELV recycling involves dismantling of vehicles and removal of
parts that can be sold for reuse, removal of potential
environmentally damaging materials, shredding of metal content and
the residual materials. The main output from the shredding of car
bodies is ferrous and nonferrous materials.
The residual mixture, once the metal content has been removed,
is classified as 'shredder floc' which is not recycled but disposed
of to landfill as waste. This material is made up of plastics,
rubber, glass, dirt, carpet fibres and seat foam. With the
increased use of plastics in new vehicles, the metal content will
continue to decline leading to increased levels of shredder floc.
Shredder floc is a key area of potential environmental concern in
relation to ELVs.
Many European manufacturers now facilitate the segregation of
plastic types during recycling, Mercedes-Benz for example mark all
plastic parts which are heavier than 100gms with the plastic type
so it can be sorted and recycled with the least possible amount of
land fill generated.Unfortunatly there are no similar facilities
here in Australia.
The cache is located nearby one of
Canberra's facilities that deals with ELV's. The non compulsary
theme when logging the cache, if you like, please tell us about
your Geowagon, or even better post up a picture of it at some
significant caching location. I have started it off with a few of
our own Geowagons. Stories of Geowagons that had to be recycled are
most welcome.
Cache can be
found after a short stroll across some very heavly littered bush.
Please wear covered shoes as the ground has some broken glass.
Geokids should be supervised. B.Y.O pen please. Will post a hint
after a few cachers have found it.
Disclaimer: Some of the above information taken from
http://www.resourcesmart.vic.gov.au/documents/End_of_life_motor_vehicles.pdf
First to
find goes to HumphreyBBear.