GEORGE TOWN: Penang has become the first state to roll out a community-based pilot programme to dispose of abandoned vehicles.
The scheme aims to clear neighbourhoods of derelict cars while giving owners a proper way to deregister and dispose of their vehicles.
Its replaces the usual practice of councils towing and storing such vehicles before sending them to an authorised automotive treatment facility (AATF).
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said that under the new system, owners voluntarily deregister old cars and send them to an authorised facility for payment.
“This way, no one feels their car is unfairly seized. Owners avoid hassle, neighbourhoods are freed of abandoned cars, and councils save time and money,” he said when launching the Old Vehicle Disposal Strata Scheme in Taman Sri Pinang yesterday.
Currently, councils face delays of more than a year before such a vehicle can be legally scrapped.
The programme covers cars, motorcycles, lorries and heavy vehicles.
“All (vehicles) must go to an authorised facility. For now, Car Medic in Semenyih, Selangor, is the active AATF,” Loke said, adding that cars from Penang would be transported there.
He stressed that the disposal process meets environmental standards, with oil and fuel drained, batteries removed, recyclable parts salvaged and the rest disposed of under Environment Department rules.
Owners pay nothing and will instead receive payment for their vehicles, he added.
Loke cautioned against using ordinary scrap yards without proper deregistration, warning that owners could still be held liable if any part of their old vehicle is later misused.
The new scheme ensures deregistration is completed first, removing legal risks.
Loke said the programme works best when communities act collectively.
“If 20 abandoned cars are identified in one area, they can all be cleared in a single day. One by one, it drags on,” he said.
Penang has long struggled with abandoned vehicles. Four Penang Island City Council depots – in Relau, Patani Road, Bagan Jermal and Batu Uban – now hold 437 cars and 657 motorcycles, above their intended capacity of about 390 cars and 620 motorcycles.
Vehicles typically take six months to clear, straining space and resources.
