Do you have a vehicle that you no longer want?  If so, you have many options available to you.  Obviously, you can choose to sell your vehicle on your own or you can trade it in on a new vehicle.  If the vehicle is in major disrepair, you might sell it to a junkyard and make a little extra cash off of it.  But, did you know that another option is to donate your vehicle to a charity?

With the economy in its current condition and with the holidays quickly approaching, you might want to consider brightening someone else’s holiday with a little generosity if you can afford to do it.  In addition, you can write off your donation on your taxes, which will help you recoup at least a little of your financial loss.

Believe it or not, there are actually many charities that will accept a used vehicle as a charitable donation.  In many cases, however, the vehicle needs to be in somewhat good condition so the charity can resell it and make some money in the process.  With one charity, however, this is not necessary.

Through the Cars for Homes program, which is made possible through the Steel Recycling Institute and Habitat for Humanity, you can donate your car, truck, RV or oat to be recycled in support of the Habitat for Humanity cause.

The reality is that cars are the most heavily recycled consumer product, with more steel being recycled than glass, aluminum, plastic and paper combined.  In fact, the Steel Recycling Institute claims that 14 million tons of steel is recycled from vehicles every year.  This is enough steel to build 45,000 steel-framed houses.  Recycling steel also saves a significant amount of energy, with the current amount of steel being recycled saving enough energy to power 18 million homes.

When a car, truck, RV or boat is donated to Habitat Cars for Homes, natural resources are saved and money is raised to help the organization build homes for those in need.  In addition, since the steel from the cars is recycled, the vehicle doesn’t have to be in running order.  Rather, they are first taken to a salvage yard where all of the reusable car parts are removed and the remaining steel is then separated from other parts of the car with the help of magnets.  The steel that is removed is then recycled in order to produce new steel. 

To learn more, visit the Cars for Homes website or the Steel Recycling website to learn about other steel recycling options.

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