NASHVILLE, Ind. -- The owners of a Nashville salvage yard were recognized on Tuesday for their work to keep contaminants from leaking out of old cars.

Wright's Auto Salvage owners Charlie and Deborah Wright were honored as a Clean Yard last month by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, and were given a gold-level award on Tuesday.

More: Going Green Special Section

The program was established in 2009 as a collaborative effort between IDEM and the Automotive Recyclers of Indiana, Inc. to cut environmental threats posed by vehicles stockpiled in salvage yards.

"If not managed properly, antifreeze, gasoline, oil, brake fluid, transmission fluid, batteries, mercury switches or tires that may come with wrecked vehicles can wreak environmental havoc," said Bruce Palin, the assistant commissioner with IDEM's Office of Land Quality.

The agency works with auto recyclers to help them manage fluids and other car parts, rewarding those, like the Wrights, who exceed state and federal standards.

"Salvage yards sometimes get a bad reputation with what they do with the oil and other fluids that are drained from cars," Charlie Wright said. "But we've always been conscious of what was going on and what we wanted to do."

Wright said workers bring every car in the shop first, where potential contaminants are drained in a controlled environment. Then the gas tanks are drained and stored in another building, while the shells of the cars go back outdoors.

"When we take the car out of the shop it's just a hull, it's all been drained. You don't have to worry about any type of (Environmental Protection Agency) issues," Wright said. "It's a little bit more than just having a bunch of old junk cars sitting out there."

He said the business also monitors water runoff on the property, and sells old car batteries and oil only to certified companies that responsibly recycle the waste.

"It's just being green, basically," Wright said. "It was basically something we did anyway, and in being in compliance, we got a gold-level status. It's just a good thing all around."

IDEM's Office of Pollution Prevention and Technical Assistance offers free, confidential compliance assistance for auto salvage recyclers across the state. The office can be reached at 800-988-7901.

More Information: IDEM's Clean Yard Program