Analysis efficiency of plastic waste Reduction(with WARM tool)

period: 2017.03~2017.07

Waste management assignment

Goal of this project: Confirm the effectiveness of "weight lightening agreement" by using warm tool.

1. Back ground of this project

Extended Producer Responsibility(EPR)

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a policy approach under which producers are given a significant responsibility – financial and/or physical – for the treatment or disposal of post-consumer products.

Assigning to this responsibility promote product design for the environment and support the achievement of public recycling and materials management goals.(OECD.ORC)

Government is making an agreement with drinking water companies for waste reduction in addition to EPR. The agreement is about reducing water bottle weight.

Drinking water market value is 600billion won. Environment Ministry of Korea claimed that more than 14 billion won can be saved (Life Cycle Assessment) through weight lightening of water bottle. Therefore companies join reducing water bottle weight, but still many of them think it is such an unnecessary agreement.

Therefore I’m going to confirm the effectiveness of this agreement.

Samdasoo company is not involved in this agreement. Isis company and Masinda company currently abide the agreement.

sample1-Samdasoo company

sample2-Isis company

sample3-Masinda company

2. Tool for this project: EPA Waste Reduction Model(WARM)

WARM calculates totals GHG emissions of baseline and alternative waste management practices; source reduction, recycling, combustion, composting, anaerobic digestion and landfill. The model calculates emissions across a wide range of material types commonly found in municipal solid waste such like.

1) metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2E),

2) metric tons of carbon equivalent (MTCE), and

3) energy units (million British thermal unit - BTU).

(EPA.gov)

3. Basic information

Streamlined Life Cycle Assessment(Streamlined LCA)

This project focused only on energy reduction and GHG emissions. Not considering human health effect related to the use of resources and environmental released. Therefore I selected Streamlined LCA rather than Full LCA.

Baseline scenario: Scenario before the weight lightening of water bottles.(sample1)

Alternative scenario: Scenario after the weight lightening of water bottles.(sample2,3)

Recycling duty for PET: 81.8% (Only for colorless and one material bottles)

Water bottle materials: PET(body), HDPE(Cap), PP(Label)

Number of plastic bottle sold annually: 4.7billion

Number of water bottle sol d annually: 1.36billion

I selected 500ml water bottle among three different size bottles; 500ml, 1L, 2L

Recycle, Incineration, Landfill ratio is caculated based on Korea waste management regulation

4. Method and experiment

4.1. Measure the composition weight (sample 1,2,3)

4.1.1.Baseline Scenario: sample1 composition weight ratio

4.1.2. Alternative Scenario: sample 2,3,4 composition weight ratio

4.2. Assumption

Accounting avoided electricity-related emissions : National(U.S) Average

Current mix of virgin and recycled inputs : 100%

VirginLFG control : National(U.S) Average Flare

Landfill gas collection efficiency(%) : Typical operation

Moisture condition : National average

Emissions that occur during transport of materials Default Distances

5. Result of each scenario

5.1. Baseline scenario

5.2. Alternative Scenario

5.3. Total Comparison(MTCO2E, BTU, MTCE)

6. Conclusion

Weight lightening of water bottle can get great economic effects. 8.7 billion won can be saved with this agreement. This result is 5.8 billion won less than the value Ministry Environment claimed. This is because I selected only 500ml water bottle and I used different equations and samples.

costs= {Raw PET(1900won/kg)+Recycling costs(178won/kg*80.6%)+waste costs(37won/kg)}

Reference

EBN 화학뉴스 [음료시장 확대, 효성.삼양사 웃는 까닭은?] http://chem.ebn.co.kr/news/view/103437 폐플라스틱의 환경친화적 관리방안에 관한 연구- 국립환경연구원플라스틱 재활용 - 한국플라스틱포장용기 협회필름류 포장재 및 복합플라스틱 재활용 현황조사 - 자원순환연대환경부 환경법령, https://www.me.go.kr/home/web/index.do?menuId=64환경부, 더 가벼워진 생수병으로 연간 145억 원 아낀다