Greenhouse gas impact of dual stream and single stream collection and separation of recyclables

Fitzgerald, Garrett C.; Krones, Jonathan S.; Themelis, Nickolas J.

doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2012.08.006

Cited by 42 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…The purpose of Figure 1-14, however, is primarily to illustrate significant differences in emissions which will dramatically affect the results of an LCA involving the recycling of materials. To put these data in context, estimates of emissions associated with other waste management activities are presented, namely collection (47-57 kg CO 2 -eq/tonne (Eisted et al, 2009), separation in sorting plants (11 kg CO 2 -eq/tonne (Fitzgerald et al, 2012), landfilling in an average U.S. site (26 kg CO 2 -eq/tonne (Levis and Barlaz, 2011) and combustion (324-480 kg CO 2 -eq/tonne (Larsen and Astrup, 2011)). …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of life cycle inventory data for recycling systems

Brogaard

Damgaard

Jensen

et al. 2014

Resources, Conservation and Recycling

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This paper reviews databases on material recycling (primary as well as secondary production) used in life cycle assessments (LCA) of waste management systems. A total of 366 datasets, from 1980-2010 and covering 14 materials, were collected from databases and reports. Totals for CO 2 -equivalent emissions were compared to illustrate variations in the data. It was hypothesised that emissions from material production and the recycling industry had decreased over time due to increasing regulation, energy costs and process optimisation, but the reported datasets did not reveal such a general trend. Data representing the same processes varied considerably between databases, and proper background information was hard to obtain, which in turn made it difficult to explain the large differences observed. Those differences between the highest and lowest estimated CO 2 emissions (equivalents) from the primary production of newsprint, HDPE and glass were 238, 443 and 452%, respectively. For steel and aluminum the differences were 1,761 and 235%, respectively. There is a severe lack of data for some recycled materials; for example, only one dataset existed for secondary cardboard. The study shows that the choice of dataset used to represent the environmental load of a material recycling process and credited emissions from the avoided production of virgin materials is crucial for the outcome of an LCA on waste management. Great care and a high degree of transparency are mandatory, but advice on which datasets to use could not be determined from the study. However, from the gathered data, recycling in general showed lower emission of CO 2 per kg material than primary production, so the recycling of materials (considered in this study) is thus beneficial in most cases.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of life cycle inventory data for recycling systems

Brogaard

Damgaard

Jensen

et al. 2014

Resources, Conservation and Recycling

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“…However, the complexity of the MWMS comes from the dichotomy between its two complementary aspects: the economic costs and the environmental impacts of the strategies [2,3]. Many researchers completed multiple assessments of MWMS environmental impacts [8,9], from single stream collection versus the separation of recyclables [10], to specific products [11], such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and glass bottles [12,13]. However, the complex link between consumers behaviors and MWMS mass flows remains a significant and sensitive element of these assessment studies.…”

Section: Solid Waste Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Agent-Based Model for End-of-Life Product Flow Analysis

Labelle

Frayret

2018

Resources

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This paper presents an agent-based simulation model for end-of-life product flow analysis in recuperation and recycling supply networks that focuses on individual consumer behaviors. The simulation model is applied to a deposit-return program on wine bottles that could be developed in the province of Quebec. Canadian data was used to calibrate and validate the model. A series of experiments was then conducted with three artificial populations to analyse how they would react to several implementation scenarios of this end-of-life product flow strategy. The results suggest that the distance to the nearest depot is an important decision factor, but less predominant than the ownership of a private vehicle and the deposit value. The results also indicate that the use of agent-based modeling combined with the theory of planned behavior (TPB) can produce modular behavior models, that are intuitive and simple, to better understand consumer-behavior-driven supply chains. Such models can be used to give insights to decision-makers and policy-makers about the potential performance of end-of-life product flows strategies and further facilitate efficient resource management.

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“…There is a general consensus in the available literature that single stream recycling offers the potential for more efficient collection and reduced collection costs. [3,4] found that the increased adoption of single stream recycling systems in the United States is largely driven by increased waste diversion rates for participating communities. In [4]'s review of several communities across multiple states, it was found that the change from multi-stream to single stream recycling resulted in an approximately 50% increase in the production of recyclable commodities and an accompanying decrease in per tonne material management costs.…”

Section: Findings On Performance Of Single Vs Multi-stream Recyclingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[3,4] found that the increased adoption of single stream recycling systems in the United States is largely driven by increased waste diversion rates for participating communities. In [4]'s review of several communities across multiple states, it was found that the change from multi-stream to single stream recycling resulted in an approximately 50% increase in the production of recyclable commodities and an accompanying decrease in per tonne material management costs. Similar results were observed by [5], which found that the collection savings from single stream systems ranged from $10 to $20 per tonne, while [6] reported that the potential savings associated with single stream collection can vary from 5% to 25%.…”

Section: Findings On Performance Of Single Vs Multi-stream Recyclingmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Comparison of Single and Multi-Stream Recycling Systems in Ontario, Canada

Lakhan

2015

Resources

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This study examines differences in cost and recycling performance between single and multi-stream recycling systems in Ontario, Canada. Using panel data from 223 provincial municipalities spanning a ten year period, focus is placed on analyzing: (a) Are material management costs for municipalities who implement single stream collection less than those that implement multi stream collection? (b) Are recycling rates for single stream municipalities higher than municipalities with multi stream collection? (c) Do municipalities with multi stream collection realize higher revenues from the sale of recyclable material? The results of the analysis show that while single stream recycling programs recycle more than multi stream programs, they face significantly higher material management costs. This was contrary to the prevailing opinion that single stream recycling is a cheaper alternative to multi-stream recycling. As far as can be ascertained, this is one of the few studies of its kind to examine the differences in material management costs and recycling performance between single and multi-stream recycling systems. This topic is of increasing importance, as single stream recycling is being touted as preferred waste management option in both Ontario and abroad.

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Greenhouse gas impact of dual stream and single stream collection and separation of recyclables

Cited by 42 publications

References 19 publications

Evaluation of life cycle inventory data for recycling systems

Evaluation of life cycle inventory data for recycling systems

Agent-Based Model for End-of-Life Product Flow Analysis

A Comparison of Single and Multi-Stream Recycling Systems in Ontario, Canada

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