The independent evaluation looked at the carbon footprint of PET bottles, with an analysis of secondary packaging from cradle to grave and from production of raw materials through to disposal.
It concluded that for countries with adequate space and little recycling infrastructure, disposing of bottles in landfill generates a lower carbon footprint than recycling or incineration.
In a press release, SRIC said: Recycling programmes using curb-side collection typically displace less than 50% of new PET. Community programmes with plastic bottle take-back, mandated separate collection, or deposits on bottles tend to report much higher displacement rates. For regions that already have a recycling infrastructure, the aim should be to boost recycled PET (rPET) displacement of virgin PET (vPET) significantly above 50%.
Mike Arné, assistant director, SRIC’s Carbon Footprint Initiative, said: “The key to this is not in raising collection rates, but in improving yields, especially in sorting and to a lesser extent in reprocessing. For countries without a recycling infrastructure, the best choice may well be to landfill bottles.”
Source: SRI Consulting
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