Life Cycle Assessment: A Tool for Evaluating and Comparing Different Treatment Options for Plastic Wastes from Old Television Sets

Abstract

In the present work, energy recovery and mechanical recycling, two treatment options for plastic wastes from discarded television sets, have been assessed and compared in the context of the life cycle assessment methodology (LCA). The environmental impact of each option was assessed by calculating the depletion of abiotic resources (ADP) and the global warming potential (GWP). Then, the indicators were compared, and the option with the smaller environmental impact was selected. The main finding of this study was that mechanical recycling of plastics is a more attractive treatment option in environmental terms than incineration for energy recovery.

Keywords

• Life cycle assessment (LCA)
• Plastic wastes
• Mechanical recycling
• Energy recovery
• Separation