Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Cost of Waste Management—Plastic Cable Waste

Mats  Zackrisson; Christina  Jönsson; Elisabeth  Olsson

doi:10.4236/aces.2014.42025

Mats Zackrisson^*, Christina Jönsson, Elisabeth Olsson

Abstract: The main driver for recycling cable wastes is the high value of the conducting metal, while the plastic with its lower value is often neglected. New improved cable plastic recycling routes can provide both economic and environmental incentive to cable producers for moving up the “cable plastic waste ladder”. Cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment, LCA, of the waste management of the cable scrap is suggested and explained as a method to analyze the pros and cons of different cable scrap recycling options at hand. Economic and environmental data about different recycling processes and other relevant processes and materials are given. Cable producers can use this data and method to assess the way they deal with the cable plastic waste today and compare it with available alternatives and thus illuminate the improvement potential of recycling cable plastic waste both in an environmental and in an economic sense. The methodology applied consists of: cradle-to-gate LCA for waste material to a recycled material (recyclate); quantifying the climate impact for each step on the waste ladder for the specific waste material; the use of economic and climate impact data in parallel; climate impact presented as a span to portray the insecurities related to which material the waste will replace; and possibilities for do-it-yourself calculations. Potentially, the methodology can be useful also for other waste materials in the future.

Keywords: Cable Recycling, Life Cycle Assessment, LCA, Life Cycle Cost, LCC, Economic Analysis, Climate Impact, Waste Recycling

Cite this paper: Zackrisson, M. , Jönsson, C. and Olsson, E. (2014) Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Cost of Waste Management—Plastic Cable Waste. Advances in Chemical Engineering and Science, 4, 221-232. doi: 10.4236/aces.2014.42025.

References

[1] Unger, N. and Oliver, G. (2008) Life Cycle Considerations about Optic Fibre Cable and Copper Cable Systems: A Case Study. Journal of Cleaner Production, 16, 1517-1525.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2007.08.016

[2] JRCb (2011) Supporting Environmentally Sound Decisions for Construction and Demolition (C & D) Waste Management.

[3] Zackrisson, M. (2013). Recycling Production Cable Waste—Environmental and Economic Aspects. Swerea IVF Report 13003, Molndal.

[4] JRCa (2011) Supporting Environmentally Sound Decisions for Waste Management. JRC European Commission.

[5] ISO (2006) ISO 14044. Environmental Management—Life Cycle Assessment—Requirements and Guidelines.

[6] Wolf, M.-A. and Rana, P. (2012) The International Reference Life Cycle Data System.
http://eplca.jrc.ec.europa.eu/uploads/2014/02/JRC-Reference-Report-ILCD-
Handbook-Towards-more-sustainable-production-
and-consumption-for-a-resource-efficient-Europe.pdf

[7] Bjorklund, A. and Finnveden, G. (2005) Recycling Revisited-Life Cycle Comparisons of Global Warming Impact and Total Energy Use of Waste Management Strategies. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 44, 309-317.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2004.12.002

[8] Zackrisson, M., Cristina, R., Kim, C. and Anna, J. (2008) Stepwise Environmental Product Declarations: Ten SME Case Studies. Journal of Cleaner Production, 16, 1872-1886.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2008.01.001

[9] European Commission (2008) Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 November 2008 on Waste and Repealing Certain Directives.

[10] Zackrisson, M. (2012) Life Cycle Assessment of Cable Recycling. Part I: Plastsep Compared to State of the Art. Swerea IVF Report, Swerea IVF AB, Molndal.

[11] Ecoinvent (2010) The Life Cycle Inventory Data Version 2.2. Ecoinvent Database.

[12] IPCC (2007) Climate Change 2007 the Physical Science Basis.
http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/ch2s2-10-2.html#table-2-14

[13] IEC (2004) Dependability Management—Part 3-3: Application Guide—Life Cycle Costing. IEC 60300-3-3.

[14] AMI (2012) AMI’s Guide to the Cable Extrusion Industry in Europe (Edition 6). www.amiplastics.com

[15] European Commission (2006) REGULATION (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 Concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH).

[16] European Commission (2011) DIRECTIVE 2011/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 June 2011 on the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment.

[17] Jones, C.I. and Marcelle, C.M. (2010) Life-Cycle Assessment of 11 kV Electrical Overhead Lines and Underground Cables. Journal of Cleaner Production, 18, 1464-1477.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2010.05.008