An Approach to Treatment of Recycling in Lca Study

As still evolving scientific tool LCA is a subject to a number of problems such as defining system boundaries; allocation of environmental impacts due to making more than one product in the same processes; geographical variations of processes, etc. However, the weakest methodological point in the LCA is an avoided impact. The avoided impacts in LCA occurs when disposal scenarios involve energy generation, waste recycling, reuse of products, etc. Such processes treated in LCA as save impacts and are deducted from the impacts caused by other processes. The recycling and waste treatment scenarios are important parts of LCA study as very often the whole environmental impact from a life cycle of a product or process is significantly influenced by these phase of the product life.