Microsoft Word - Environmental benefits of recycling 2010 update.doc

It can be seen from this table that the LCAs analyzed covered a variety of countries. 6 out of the 8 studies have
been published since 2006. The two studies from 2000 and 2001 have been included despite their age since they
were considered as high quality LCAs and had not been used in the previous edition of the report for plastics.

The system diagram below shows the plastics life cycle and the steps where key system boundary issues arise. All
studies except study n°5 and n°8 focus on the disposal and recovery stage.

Crude oil

extraction

Polymerisation

Electricity

Plastic component

shaping

Plastic product

Use

Incineration Landfill Pyrolysis Recycling

Material production

and use

Disposal & recovery

Energy export to

the grid

Emissions from

landfill

Alternative use of

incineration

capacity

Processing

Marginal material

Ratio of virgin

material

subsitution

Co‐products

Heat/steam

Avoided fuel and

gas production

Degradation rate

Avoided material

production

Post‐consumer waste

Collection

Electricity

Marginal material

Co‐products

Heat/steam

Hydrocarbon monomers

Figure 12 The plastics system and key parameters

3.3.2 Comparison between the various end-of-life options

Alternatives compared

The end-of-life options covered by the selected studies are:

 Recycling

 Incineration with energy recovery

 Landfill

 Pyrolysis

The table below gives an overview of the alternatives that are compared within each case. It also illustrates how
often each end-of-life option is represented. It can be seen that 22 cases have been assessed, representing a
total of 64 scenarios. The table also highlights that pyrolysis is analyzed in two studies. This end-of-life option is
still in early development and the scenarios refer to site-specific processes or pilot plants and use proprietary
technologies. The results presented here are thus not considered to be sufficient to draw up conclusions
regarding the environmental performances of this end-of-life option compared to other alternatives. However, it
still provides information concerning the key parameters that can affect the benefits of this technology. It should
also be noted that recycling encompasses both mechanical and feedstock recycling. In the case of mechanical
recycling, plastics are shredded into pellets or granulates and serve as new raw materials. Feedstock recycling