Costs and benefits of packaging waste recycling systems

Abstract

Abstract:This Special Issue provides several different perspectives on the complex issue of packaging waste recycling. It comprises a diverse and rich set of contributions with insights from very different disciplines that range from economics to engineering. All types of "costs and benefits" are addressed in this collection of articles. In addition to the economic and strictly financial impacts of selective collection and sorting of packaging waste, several authors discuss other types of impact, such as the environmental and social ones. The reader will find articles that address recycling systems as a whole, pieces that focus on specific impacts and detailed discussions of particular material streams or waste management strategies. The Special Issue represents an indispensable resource for academics, policy-makers and practitioners with interests on recycling and packaging waste management.

Moving towards a circular economy: economic impacts of higher material recycling targets

“…Nevertheless, national systems vary considerably in design, in terms of influence of pre-existing policy and systems, methods of achieving producer compliance, fee structures, targets, waste stream prioritization and local authority involvement. Therefore, it may be argued that the financial costs and benefits of collecting and sorting packaging waste is not enough to carry out an assessment from a general welfare perspective [17]. Hence, the economic impacts in terms of the effects of recycling-related activities, has been only partially documented so far [4].…”

Modernity and ecology in the aspect of a packaging industry company management

“…Research is being done around the world E3S Web of Conferences 46, 00024 (2018) https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/20184600024 3 rd International Conference on Energy and Environmental Protection to use smaller quantities of packaging materials and renewable sources [12]. More and more often, new composite materials based on natural fibers of plant origin, such as coconut, reed, wheat straw etc., are used for production [13][14][15]. Design labels sensitive to the changes in the internal state of the package, which changes through a visible colour, will alert the consumer about the freshness or reaching the expiry date of the product [16].…”

Design for sustainability in future scenarios in the self-service food packaging sector

“…In this context, it was observed in scientific articles -peer-reviewed in periodicals indexed in the online portals Science Direct and CAPES, for the last ten years, and in relation to the terms "packaging disposal"; "Sustainable packaging"; and "packaging waste" -a relevant common issue: identification and/or planning of measures to reduce the environmental impact of packaging waste through programs or regulations involving recycling or recovery of waste, but with the goal of ensuring the market operation within the current paradigm (Arena and Gregorio, 2014;Bovea and Powell, 2006;Cruz et al, 2014;Dixon-Hardy and Curran, 2009;Ferreira et al, 2014;Jaeger and Rogge, 2014;Wilkström et al, 2014). Another relevant remarks is that there is a wide-ranging approach to the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tool (Arena and Gregorio, 2014;Ferreira et al, 2014;Wilkström et al, 2014;Varzinskas et al, 2012;Verghese et al, 2010;Bovea and Powell, 2006;Meneses et al, 2012), highlighting its importance both in the management of packaging waste and the content contained therein.…”

“…However, in most of the approaches, difficulties in adapting the legislation to the market reality have been encountered, hindering economic and logistical issues. Besides these, other issues also stand out, to a greater or lesser degree in each case, such as demography associated with cultural and ethical implications (Cruz et al, 2014).…”