MANAGING PLASTIC WASTE - Plastics and Environmental Sustainability - page 412

Table 9.9 Indicators of Principal Environmental Impact
Categories, as Evaluated for Five Plastic Waste Management
Approaches

Source: Reprinted with slight modifications with permission from Perguini et al.
(2005).
Impact
category (per
kg PET
waste)

Landfill Combustion Mechanical
recycling

MR +
low
temp.
pyrolysis

MR +
hydrocracking

Energy
consumption
(MJ)

51.59 6.45 −5.41 12.14 − 11.40

Crude oil
consumption
(g)

1462 995 −74.76 −145.86 − 210.65

Water
consumption
(kg)

47.11 45.92 3.48 14.06 25.26

CO 2 -equivalent
(kg)

5.3 7.3 1.4 1.7 2.02

Air emissions
of organic
compounds (g)

26.8 14.3 − 0.05 1.42 4.78

Waste
production
(kg)

2.49 0.19 0.09 0.20 0.26

Values in boldface type indicate the best environmental performance. MR =
materials recycling.

Figure9.10 illustratesthehierarchyofwastemanagementapproachesbased
on this discussion as they apply to plastics waste. The order of the different
options is consistent with the Lansink's Ladde r 9 proposed for solid waste
management in the Netherlands.