I am a big fan of Subaru.  They may not be the most efficient cars on the road, but they are a wonderful all-terrain alternative without resulting to buying gas-guzzling SUV.  There has been a lot of attention on car companies like Honda and Toyota for their continuous effort to create greener vehicles.  While Subaru currently does not have an ultra-efficient car on the market, their recycling program might make up for that.

Subaru of Indiana Automotive (SIA) in Lafayette, Indiana, recycles 97% of their leftover steel, plastic, wood, paper, glass, and other materials.  The remaining 3% gets shipped to Indianapolis to be incinerated.  Paint sludge is dried to a powder and shipped to a plastics manufacture to be mixed in with other plastic compounds.  Solvents used in the painting process are cleaned, recovered, and reused.   

Subaru also designs their vehicles to be recycled easily.  The can be easily dismantled and the parts are labeled and coded to make sorting easier.  Not only are the vehicles easy to recycle they are also made up of recycled materials: plastic bottles are used in insulation, plastic bumper waste are used for new bumpers, scraps from clothing manufactures are used for base trim layers, paint sludge and discarded paper are used in vibration-absorbing door panels.   

Not all the materials in the vehicles are recyclable nor are they all made of recycled material, but Subaru continues to be a leader in Cradle to Cradle car care.