A new rate index for environmental monitoring of combined reuse/recycle packaging systems

Abstract

It is shown that the conventional recycling rate fails to reflect environmental performance for packaging flows with both recycle and reuse. The reuse rate, the total number of reuse trips and the reuse-lifetime are also shown to be inadequate. A new rate index defined in terms of the total amount of packaging material reaching the consumer is proposed. It reflects immediate improvements in environmental impact according to specific criteria and it reduces to the conventional rate for systems with only recycle. Albeit this shortcut environmental assessment is not entirely comprehensive and does not unveil a full sustainability profile, it may be useful for immediate packaging flow evaluation and policy implementation. For given packaging production technology it reveals a specific maximum level on recycling, below which environmental impacts from processing are limited or reduced, even if production level grows. Cleaner technologies in reprocessing of recycled materials may elevate this maximum level while still limiting or reducing environmental impacts.

Keywords

Packaging solid waste recycling reuse environmental monitoring environmental policy wmr 646-1

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Diakoulaki, D. & Papayannakis, L. (1994) Development of a criteria system for defining priorities in packaging recycling , MER 4th International Congress, Belgium.

EPI (2001). Environment & Pira International: Evaluation of Costs and Benefits for the the Achievement of Reuse and Recycling Targets for Different Packaging Materials in the Frame of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive 94/62 EC Proposed Draft Final Report RDC, www.epinet.org, Washington USA , May 2001.

Fonteyne, J. (1999) European Recovery and Recycling Association, (ERRA): Assessment of the Monitoring of Packaging and Packaging Waste, The Monitoring of Combined Reuse and Recycling Targets, in View of Questions Raised with ERRA by Some EU Member States on the Monitoring of Packaging and Packaging Waste. ERRA, Brussels, Belgium .

PC (1997). Pricewaterhouse-Coopers: Review of 1997 Data on Packaging and Packaging Waste Recycling and Recovery. Utrecht, Netherlands , www.pwcglobal.com

Tsiliyannis, C. (2005) Dynamic modeling of packaging material flows . Waste Management and Research, 23, 155-166 .

Tsiliyannis, C. (2004) A New Rate for Monitoring and Environmental Policy Implementation of Reused/Recycled Packaging, Report. ANION Ltd, Athens, Greece , anion@otenet.gr

White, P.R. , Franke, M. & Hindle, P. (1995) Integrated Solid Waste Management: A Lifetime Inventory. Blackie, Glasgow, UK .