Microsoft Word - Environmental benefits of recycling 2010 update.doc

Biopolymers‐ n°5

Title

Assessment of the environmental profile of PLA,
PET and PES clamshell containers using LCA
methodology
Year 2009
Author Madival

Case

Material composition

Sub‐scenario

40% recycling/30%

incineration/30%

landfill

100% Landfill 100% Recycling 50%^ incineration/50%landfill^

23,5%

incineration/76,5%

landfill

Virgin material

Material marginal: which? No inf. No inf. No inf. No inf. No inf.

Electricity marginal: which? No inf. No inf. No inf. No inf. No inf.

Steam marginal: which? No inf. No inf. No inf. No inf. No inf.

Co‐products dealt with? No inf. No inf. No inf. No inf. No inf.

Recovered material

Material marginal: which? No inf. / No inf. / /

Electricity marginal: which? No inf. / No inf. / /

Steam marginal: which? No inf. / No inf. / /

Co‐products dealt with? No inf. / No inf. / /

Material recovery included? Yes / Yes / /

Type of recycling waiting for precisions / waiting for precisions / /

In which ratio does recycled material substitute

virgin material? waiting^ for^ precisions / waiting^ for^ precisions / /

General

Technology incinerationenergy recovery^ with^ waiting for precisions waiting for precisions incinerationenergy recovery^ with^ incinerationenergy recovery^ with^

Infrastructures taken into account? No inf. No inf. No inf. No inf. No inf.

Transport included? Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Energy production Yes No No Yes Yes

Produced energy substitutes electricity?

for incineration,

crediting to the

energy consumption

used for the polymer

manufacture

//

for incineration,

crediting to the

energy consumption

used for the polymer

manufacture

for incineration,

crediting to the

energy consumption

used for the polymer

manufacture

Produced energy substitutes steam? waiting for precisions / / waiting for precisions waiting for precisions

Avoided processes ‐ credits waiting for precisions waiting for precisions waiting for precisions waiting for precisions waiting for precisions

Material substitutes mixed plastics mixed plastics mixed plastics mixed plastics mixed plastics

Carbon sequestration issue taken into account? Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Waste characteristics

Heating value waiting for precisions / / waiting for precisions waiting for precisions

Degradation rate (over  100  years) 0% in landfill 0% in landfill / 0% in landfill 0% in landfill

Incineration

Alternative use of incineration capacity included? No inf. / / No inf. No inf.

Composting

Compost spreading for composting taken into

account? //No^ inf. / /

Compost leaching after spreading taken into

account? //No^ inf. / /

Reference to EN 13432:2000 (^) (Requirements for
Packaging Recoverable Through Composting and
Biodegradation)?
Landfill
Methane emissions included? waiting for precisions waiting for precisions / waiting for precisions waiting for precisions
100% PLA
5[PLA]
Material
disposal
Material
production
Material
recovery