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What Is an Authorised Treatment Facility?
An Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF) is a vehicle dismantling and recycling site that has been licensed by the Environment Agency under the End of Life Vehicles (ELV) Regulations 2003. These facilities must meet strict environmental and safety standards before they can receive and process scrap vehicles. Only a licensed ATF can legally issue a Certificate of Destruction (CoD), which is the document that formally ends your legal responsibility for the vehicle.
Handing your car to an unlicensed collector — regardless of what they tell you about their credentials — means you will not receive a valid CoD. The DVLA may continue to send you tax reminders, insurance demands or, in the worst case, hold you liable for incidents involving the vehicle after it has left your hands.
How to Check an ATF Is Licensed
The DVLA publishes a regularly updated register of all approved ATFs in the UK. You can search by company name or postcode on the DVLA website, and the Environment Agency also maintains a public register of permitted waste facilities, which includes ATFs. Cross-referencing both registers gives you the best assurance that a facility is fully compliant.
When you arrive at — or are collected by — a licensed ATF, you can ask to see their Environment Agency waste permit number. A genuine ATF will not hesitate to provide it.
What Happens at the ATF?
Once your vehicle arrives, the ATF logs the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and notifies the DVLA electronically. The car then goes through a legally mandated depollution process, where all fluids (engine oil, coolant, brake fluid, fuel, air conditioning refrigerant and battery acid) are removed and disposed of safely. Airbags are deactivated and reusable parts are stripped before the remaining shell is crushed and shredded for recycling. Under the ELV Regulations, 95% of each vehicle must be recovered or recycled.
Read the full process: What happens to your car when you scrap it →
Certificate of Destruction
A licensed ATF is legally required to issue a Certificate of Destruction within seven days of receiving your vehicle. This document confirms the car has been legally destroyed and removes it permanently from the DVLA register in your name. Keep it indefinitely. If you do not receive a CoD within two weeks of handing over your car, contact the ATF in writing and keep a record of your request.
Get the Best Price From a Licensed ATF
Using a licensed ATF does not mean accepting a lower price. All the scrap dealers and collectors on our comparison platform are licensed ATFs or work exclusively with licensed facilities. Enter your registration plate to see quotes from verified collectors in your area.