Page 4 - BusinessWest July 7, 2025

Shifting into a Different Gear
Westover Auto Salvage Continues
to Evolve Its Recycling Efforts
BY JOSEPH BEDNAR
[email protected]
CEO Brian Bachand was quick to explain that he doesn’t care for the word ‘junkyard.’
That’s because handling these vehicles — and there may be between 1,500 and 2,000 here
As he walked with BusinessWest in the large lot behind Westover Auto Salvage in Belchertown,
at any given time — involves layers of purposeful processing to extract — and, hopefully, sell —
as many useful parts as possible before they’re crushed or otherwise disposed of, and doing it
in an environmentally sound manner.
“We pride ourselves in selling used parts, but we’re actually selling relationships and experience, going the
extra mile to take care of the customers,” he explained. “We try to do everything in a clean, eco-friendly way.
Everything you see back here, there’s an outlet and opportunity for it. All the fluids that we drain from the
vehicles are reused or repurposed. We filter the gasoline to use in our delivery trucks, and we use the oil to
heat our buildings. It’s about sustainability and promoting the circular economy model.”
“It was really
intriguing to me to
figure out what we
do with vehicles
when they’re
truly at the end
of life and how
we turn that into
environmental
value and not just
treating them like
refuse.”
CEO Brian Bachand
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JULY 7, 2025
Business W est