Plastic Packaging Waste Management in Iceland

Challenges and Opportunities from a Life Cycle Assessment Perspective

authored by: Ólafur Ögmundarson, Laura Sophie Kalweit, Venkateshwaran Venkatachalam, Rakel Kristjánsdóttir, Hans-Josef Endres, Sebastian Spierling
Abstract: The management of plastic packaging waste is advancing quickly, and new strategies are being implemented worldwide for better resource recovery. To assess the environmental benefits of new ways of handling plastic packaging waste, we need to first evaluate current waste management options in order to create a basis for comparison. In this study, the environmental impacts of plastic packaging waste handling are assessed for the first time in Iceland using the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. The results show that mechanical recycling, despite including the impacts of exporting the waste to different European countries, has more environmental benefits than landfilling the waste in Iceland. Increasing the recycling rates of plastic waste in Iceland is also identified as a promising option from a resource efficiency perspective. With better waste sorting, Iceland can become more environmentally sustainable, ensuring that plastic materials land in recycling processes, and thereby enhancing the flow of material in the circular economy.
Organisation(s): Institute of Plastics and Circular Economy
External Organisation(s): University of Iceland
Environment Agency of Iceland
Type: Article
Journal: Sustainability
Volume: 14
No. of pages: 18
ISSN: 2071-1050
Publication date: 15.12.2022
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Computer Science (miscellaneous), Geography, Planning and Development, Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment, Building and Construction, Environmental Science (miscellaneous), Energy Engineering and Power Technology, Hardware and Architecture, Computer Networks and Communications, Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth, SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.3390/su142416837 (Access: Open)