How We Can Reduce Environmental Impacts through Recycling

Abstract

The widespread use of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles presents significant environmental challenges. This study employs a cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), following ISO 14044:2006 guidelines, to evaluate the environmental impacts of three PET bottle recycling scenarios: 24%, 50%, and 86% recycling rates. Using a standardized 40-gram PET bottle as the functional unit, the study assesses key environmental impact categories, including water consumption, fossil resource scarcity, and global warming potential (GWP). The results indicate that increasing recycling rates significantly reduces environmental impacts, with the GWP decreasing from 0.12 kg CO_2eq in the 24% recycling scenario to 0.0497 kg CO_2eq in the 86% scenario. Water consumption is also reduced from 0.0139 m³ to 0.0056 m³, while fossil resource scarcity decreases from 0.236 kg oil_eq to 0.0952 kg oil_eq. However, the land use category showed only a marginal reduction from 0.00252 m² crop_eq to 0.00218 m² crop_eq, indicating diminishing returns at higher recycling rates. Despite the benefits of recycling, this study emphasizes that reducing consumption should be the top priority in addressing PET-related environmental burdens. Minimizing unnecessary consumption and promoting sustainable production practices are critical to achieving long-term sustainability goals. These findings highlight the need for a holistic waste management strategy that prioritizes reduction, followed by reuse and recycling, to effectively mitigate environmental impacts and support the transition to a circular economy.

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