Unwanted cars take their final journey

Masterton District Council's first car amnesty of the year finished on Sunday, with 108 unwanted cars dropped off at the Masterton tip in nine days.
The council runs amnesties two or three times a year so people can get rid of the old dungers cluttering up their yards without incurring the $25 collection and dismantling fee.
Masterton and Carterton waste minimisation officer Pete Ruddock said that of the 108 cars, 71 were what they call "dirty" and 37 "clean".
A dirty car is one that still requires the stripping of engines, tyres, dashes and bumpers ? all plastics ? to make the car ready for crushing.
"Clean" cars are those that are ready for crushing and don't normally have a cost associated with their disposal.
This year the Masterton residents who disposed of their dirty vehicles saved a total of $1775.
Mr Ruddock said that in the last amnesty, in June 2005, 86 dirty and 15 clean cars were received and in January 2005 88 dirty and four clean.
He said running the amnesties was a good way of ensuring unwanted cars did not wind up abandoned in rivers and fields.
At the tip, TJ Norman, the man whose job it is to dismantle the dirty cars, is gearing up for few weeks of ? if yesterday's weather persists ? weeks of hot work.
Mr Norman said he can get through about six a day and most, even the clean ones, will require some level of attention, meaning he'll have his work cut out for him for several weeks.
He said there are a few perks to the job and a good amount of materials left in the cars are salvageable.
"Tools, money. Mate, It's unreal. And I take a lot of parts home for my stock car."
The cars that come in already mangled pose the greatest challenge, as getting inside them to strip them is tricky.
Getting the engines out is the easiest part ? "We just undo about eight bolts, attach a chain on the loader to them and shake."
Not all the cars that come in during the amnesty are that bad.
"People drive them in. We get a lot of good cars coming in. The best has probably been a 1999 Daihatsu. The engine had blown up but the rest was OK."