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Environmental Impact Assessment of Plastic Waste Management Scenarios in the Canadian Context
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Using life cycle assessment, this Canadian study compared current plastic waste management against two alternative scenarios and found that shifting away from landfill-dominated disposal could significantly cut environmental impacts including greenhouse gas emissions. The findings underscore that how we manage plastic waste matters as much as how much plastic we produce, with implications for future policy.
Given the scale of plastic generation, its persistent presence in the environment, and the urgent need to transition to a net-zero emissions paradigm, managing plastic waste has gained increasing attention globally. Developing an effective strategy for plastic waste management requires a comprehensive assessment of the potential benefits offered by different solutions, particularly with respect to their environmental impact. This study employs the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology to evaluate the environmental impact of two alternative scenarios to the As-Is scenario for managing plastic waste in the province of British Columbia in Canada. The LCA results suggest that the Zero Plastic Waste scenario, which heavily relies on chemical recycling, may not inherently result in a reduced environmental footprint across all impact categories. This is notable when the focus is solely on end-of-life treatment processes, without considering the produced products and energy. The Intermediate scenario reduces the amount of plastic waste sent to landfills by directing more end-of-life plastic to mechanical recycling facilities. This scenario provides immediate benefits for resource conservation, with a minimal increase in the environmental burden resulting from treatment processes. Nonetheless, achieving a net-zero transition requires combining traditional and emerging recycling technologies. The current study could offer some guidance to policymakers on strategies for fostering more sustainable management of plastic waste.
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Sustainability Impact Assessment of Increased Plastic Recycling and Future Pathways of Plastic Waste Management in Sweden
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A sustainability assessment of plastic waste management in Sweden evaluated the environmental trade-offs of different pathways including recycling, incineration, and landfilling. Increasing recycling rates reduces microplastic generation and greenhouse gas emissions compared to burning or landfilling plastic waste.
Life cycle assessment of plastic waste end-of-life management: a systematic review
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Researchers systematically reviewed 2019–2025 life cycle assessment literature on plastic waste end-of-life management, finding that global warming potential dominates as the studied impact category and that recycling, incineration, pyrolysis, and landfilling each carry distinct environmental trade-offs, with significant gaps remaining in geographic coverage and functional unit standardization.
Life Cycle Assessment of Banned Single-Use Plastic Products and Their Alternatives
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Researchers conducted a life cycle assessment comparing banned single-use plastic products in Canada with their alternatives, including paper, cotton, and bioplastic options. They found that while banning plastics reduces plastic pollution, some alternatives have higher carbon footprints or water usage. The study suggests that effective policy needs to consider the full environmental impact of replacement materials, not just plastic waste reduction.
Environmental trade-offs in plastic waste management pathways: A critical synthesis of comparative life cycle assessment studies
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This review of existing studies finds that traditional recycling (melting and reusing plastic) is generally the cleanest way to handle plastic waste, while burning it or dumping it in landfills is worse for the environment. Importantly, most studies focus only on climate impact and rarely examine how plastic waste disposal affects human health or microplastic pollution, meaning we still don't fully understand these risks.
Influence of Plastic Waste Management on the Environment: A review
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This review examined how different plastic waste management practices influence environmental outcomes, discussing the limitations of landfilling, incineration, and recycling for fossil-based plastics that persist in the environment for hundreds of years. The paper argued that transitioning to a circular economy is essential to reduce the environmental burden of plastic waste.
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