Assessing different treatment options for plastic wastes from discarded television sets in the context of LCA

Abstract

In the present work, the energy recovery and the mechanical recycling, i.e. two treatment options for plastic wastes from the discarded TV sets have been assessed and compared in the context of the life cycle assessment methodology (LCA). The environmental impact of each option was assessed by calculating the following impact indicators : energy depletion (ED), depletion of abiotic resources (ADP), and global warming potential (GWP). Then, the indicators were compared and the option with the smaller environmental impact was selected. The main finding of this study was that mechanical recycling of plastics is more attractive treatment option in environmental terms than incineration for energy recovery.