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Life cycle assessment of a household solid waste source separation programme: a Swedish case study.

Bernstad, Anna LU ; la Cour Jansen, Jes LU and Aspegren, Henrik (2011) In Waste Management & Research 29. p.1027-1042
Abstract
The environmental impact of an extended property close source-separation system for solid household waste (i.e. a systems for collection of recyclables from domestic properties) is investigated in a residential area in southern Sweden. Since 2001, households have been able to source-separate waste into six fractions of dry recyclables and food waste sorting. The current system was evaluated using the EASEWASTE life cycle assessment tool. Current status is compared with an ideal scenario in which households display perfect source-separation behaviour and a scenario without any material recycling. Results show that current recycling provides substantial environmental benefits compared to a non-recycling alternative. The environmental benefit... (More)
The environmental impact of an extended property close source-separation system for solid household waste (i.e. a systems for collection of recyclables from domestic properties) is investigated in a residential area in southern Sweden. Since 2001, households have been able to source-separate waste into six fractions of dry recyclables and food waste sorting. The current system was evaluated using the EASEWASTE life cycle assessment tool. Current status is compared with an ideal scenario in which households display perfect source-separation behaviour and a scenario without any material recycling. Results show that current recycling provides substantial environmental benefits compared to a non-recycling alternative. The environmental benefit varies greatly between recyclable fractions, and the recyclables currently most frequently source-separated by households are often not the most beneficial from an environmental perspective. With optimal source-separation of all recyclables, the current net contribution to global warming could be changed to a net-avoidance while current avoidance of nutrient enrichment, acidification and photochemical ozone formation could be doubled. Sensitivity analyses show that thetype of energy substituted by incineration of non-recycled waste, as well as energy used in recycling processes and in the production of materials substituted by waste recycling, is of high relevance for the attained results. (Less)
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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Waste Management & Research
volume
29
pages
1027 - 1042
publisher
SAGE Publications
external identifiers
  • wos:000295803500005
  • pmid:21824984
  • scopus:80054027302
  • pmid:21824984
ISSN
1096-3669
DOI
10.1177/0734242X11406170
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
986d2278-a977-45e0-bf69-0ab5ee9e3418 (old id 2151316)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:43:13
date last changed
2023-11-24 16:27:27
@article{986d2278-a977-45e0-bf69-0ab5ee9e3418,
  abstract     = {{The environmental impact of an extended property close source-separation system for solid household waste (i.e. a systems for collection of recyclables from domestic properties) is investigated in a residential area in southern Sweden. Since 2001, households have been able to source-separate waste into six fractions of dry recyclables and food waste sorting. The current system was evaluated using the EASEWASTE life cycle assessment tool. Current status is compared with an ideal scenario in which households display perfect source-separation behaviour and a scenario without any material recycling. Results show that current recycling provides substantial environmental benefits compared to a non-recycling alternative. The environmental benefit varies greatly between recyclable fractions, and the recyclables currently most frequently source-separated by households are often not the most beneficial from an environmental perspective. With optimal source-separation of all recyclables, the current net contribution to global warming could be changed to a net-avoidance while current avoidance of nutrient enrichment, acidification and photochemical ozone formation could be doubled. Sensitivity analyses show that thetype of energy substituted by incineration of non-recycled waste, as well as energy used in recycling processes and in the production of materials substituted by waste recycling, is of high relevance for the attained results.}},
  author       = {{Bernstad, Anna and la Cour Jansen, Jes and Aspegren, Henrik}},
  issn         = {{1096-3669}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{1027--1042}},
  publisher    = {{SAGE Publications}},
  series       = {{Waste Management & Research}},
  title        = {{Life cycle assessment of a household solid waste source separation programme: a Swedish case study.}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0734242X11406170}},
  doi          = {{10.1177/0734242X11406170}},
  volume       = {{29}},
  year         = {{2011}},
}