International Review of Waste Management Policy - Department of ...

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� Emissions associated with disposal of the product (for the virgin production
system, where it is assumed that the product is not recycled at the end of its
life).
The range of possible re-processing technologies and the different methodologies
employed for calculating emissions reductions has resulted in a wide range of offsets
being attributed with respect to the recycling of the same type of material. This is
particularly the case with regard to the climate change impacts, which have been
more widely studied.
63.7.1 Climate Change Impacts
Table 63-19 summarises some of the evidence from the literature with regard to the
climate change impacts associated with recycling the most commonly collected
materials. Best and worst case scenarios are presented, along with typical values.
The table identifies the key assumptions within the reviewed studies that result in the
calculation of the more extreme values associated with the best and worst cases. The
table shows that recycling typically results in avoided greenhouse gas emissions for
all of those materials commonly recycled.
The results presented in Table 63-19 show that aluminium recycling results in the
most significant emissions savings where impacts are considered on the basis of one
tonne of material recycled, largely as a result of the significant energy expenditure
involved in manufacturing the product from virgin materials. The damage costs
associated with the typical values presented in Table 63-19 are shown in Table
63-20, under both the high and low externalities.
63.7.2 Air Quality Impacts
Section 63.7.1 confirms that the greenhouse gas implications of recycling materials
have been considered by a range of studies. Far less data is available with respect to
the air quality impacts associated with recycling the same products.
One study that did consider these impacts is the international review of the
environmental benefits of recycling undertaken by WRAP. The study included a range
of different re-processing technologies for different materials being recycled across
various countries. However the majority of studies included within the review focused
on the climate change impacts of recycling (this data is included within Table 63-19).
Far less information is available with respect to the air quality impacts associated
with these processes, and what is available is limited to emissions of NOx and SOx
only.
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