Abstract
There are not many municipalities that have applied social systems to deal with the recycling of garbage generated in homes. One of the reasons for this is that local inhabitants do not always willingly participate. The level of inhabitant participation depends on factors such as the system type of recycling, urbanization, and housing conditions. Almost all LCA studies compare recycling systems with the condition that 100% of the household waste is being recycled, or on a basic unit of garbage. However the results of one LCA will be different from that of another when there is actually a 100% waste recycling rate, if less inhabitants take part in garbage collection or if the extent of promoting recycling facilities to local households is low. This LCA study, therefore, takes into account housing conditions, the extent of participation in waste collection by inhabitants, and the extent to which recycling facilities are being promoted to local households. Results showed that differences in participation by inhabitants makes a difference to the overall LCA evaluation when it comes to waste recycling systems. It is necessary for municipalities to conduct their own environmental impact evaluations for each system, taking into account the practical extent of participation by inhabitants.
