Environmental impact assessment of the waste stage of plastics flow

Abstract

In this study, the environmental impact of plastic input, production, and disposal stages was evaluated using a life cycle assessment, and three scenarios were assumed for current plastic recycling: simple incineration only, material recycling only, and thermal recycling only, and the differences were evaluated and compared. In this study, data on the estimated weight of plastic at the input, discharge, and treatment/disposal stages published in the "Plastic Recycling Flow Diagram" (Plastic Waste Management Association) was used. The analysis results showed that simple incineration reduces the amount of waste generated, but can have a significant negative impact on climate change. In addition, results were obtained suggesting that material recycling and thermal recycling have little impact on climate change, but may increase the discharge of waste and other chemicals.