A life cycle assessment of mechanical and feedstock recycling options for management of plastic packaging wastes

TLDR

Life cycle assessment is a leading tool for comparing environmental performance of waste management systems across cradle‑to‑grave stages. The study quantifies the environmental performance of mechanical recycling of Italian household plastic packaging and compares it with landfilling, incineration, and two feedstock recycling processes. Using LCA, the authors model the entire Italian household plastic packaging recycling system, including mechanical recycling, landfilling, incineration, pyrolysis, and hydrogenation. Results show that all recycling scenarios outperform non‑recycling options, and combined feedstock–mechanical recycling schemes exhibit particularly strong environmental performance. © 2005 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2005.

Abstract

Abstract Life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology is generally considered one of the best environmental management tools that can be used to compare alternative eco‐performances of recycling or disposal systems. It considers the environment as a whole, including indirect releases, energy and material consumption, emissions in the environment, and waste disposal and follows each activity from the extraction of raw materials to the return of wastes to the ground (cradle‐to‐grave approach). The study refers to the whole Italian system for recycling of household plastic packaging wastes. The aim was to quantify the overall environmental performances of mechanical recycling of plastic containers in Italy and to compare them with those of conventional options of landfilling or incineration and of a couple of innovative processes of feedstock recycling, low‐temperature fluidized bed pyrolysis, and high‐pressure hydrogenation. The results confirm that recycling scenarios are always preferable to those of nonrecycling. They also highlight the good environmental performance of new plastic waste management schemes that couple feedstock and mechanical recycling processes. © 2005 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2005