A Vital US Industry: Auto Recycling.  For more than 75 years, automotive recyclers have been providing employment, consumer service and environmental conservation worldwide. In the United States, the automotive recycling industry is a vital, market-driven industry. In fact, automotive recycling is the 16th largest industry in the United States, estimated to be a $25 billion per year industry. There are approximately 7,000 vehicle-recycling operations around the country.  Recycling autos provides enough steel to produce almost 13 million new automobiles, while generating jobs for 46,000 people. ~ autoalliance.org