rethinking recycling recycling...• recycling in oregon in 2016 saved ~27 trillion btus of energy...
TRANSCRIPT
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
Rethinking Recycling
Northeast Recycling Council 19 March 2020
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
overview of today’s webinar
2
• Review of environmental conditions and the overarching challenge
• Benefits – and limitations – of recycling and composting• Alternatives: waste prevention and reuse• Zero Waste and Circular Economy• The limitations of “disposal aversion”• A modest proposal
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality 3
the materials “life cycle”
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
eutrophication (excess nutrients)
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
toxic chemicals
5
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
habitat and species loss
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The Aggie Transcript; University of California, Davis
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
climate change
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
problem statement
8
1. We need to use resources below a level that our planet can provide in perpetuity.
2. We need to emit wastes below the level(s) that our planet can safely absorb/metabolize in perpetuity.
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality 9
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Sector-based (in-boundary) Inventory
Consumption-based Inventory
Oregon’s contribution to climate change 1990 – 2017
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality 10
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Oregon’s contribution to climate change 1990 – 2017
33%
26%
41%
Services
Materials
Electricity and Fuels
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality 11
Oregon’s 2015 consumption-based GHG emissions –materials only
1%
99%
DisposalProduction
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
energy and greenhouse gas benefits of recycling
• Recycling in Oregon in 2016 saved ~27 trillion BTUs of energy
• ~2.8% of total statewide use• Equivalent of ~220 million gallons of gasoline
• Recovery in Oregon in 2016 reduced greenhouse gas emissions by ~2.9 million metric tons of CO2e
• ~4.7% of total statewide emissions• Equivalent of 690,000 “average” passenger cars
• Most benefits are upstream, not downstream
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality 13
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
mill
ion
met
ric to
ns o
f car
bon
diox
ide
equi
vale
nt Consumption-based Inventory
Oregon’s contribution to climate change 1990 – 2017
33%
26%
41%
Services
Materials
Electricity and Fuels
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality 14
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
mill
ion
met
ric to
ns o
f car
bon
diox
ide
equi
vale
nt Consumption-based Inventory
Oregon’s contribution to climate change 1990 – 2017
Services
Materials
Electricity and Fuels
90% Recycling& Composting
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
Drinking water options: dispose, recycle, or reduce?
15
0102030405060708090
100
Energy Use ClimateChange
Acidification Ecotoxicity HumanRespiratory
HealthPlastic bottle, no recyclingPlastic bottle, 80% recyclingTap water
Rela
tive
Impa
ct
(Pla
stic
bot
tle, n
o re
cycl
ing
= 10
0)
Source: Oregon DEQ
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality 16
0102030405060708090
100
Energy Use ClimateChange
Acidification Ecotoxicity HumanRespiratory
HealthPlastic bottle, no recyclingPlastic bottle, 80% recyclingTap water
Drinking water options: dispose, recycle, or reduce?
Rela
tive
Impa
ct
(Pla
stic
bot
tle, n
o re
cycl
ing
= 10
0)
Source: Oregon DEQ
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality 17
0102030405060708090
100
Energy Use ClimateChange
Acidification Ecotoxicity HumanRespiratory
HealthPlastic bottle, no recyclingPlastic bottle, 80% recyclingTap water
Drinking water options: dispose, recycle, or reduce?
Rela
tive
Impa
ct
(Pla
stic
bot
tle, n
o re
cycl
ing
= 10
0)
Source: Oregon DEQ
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
food waste (Oregon)
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
food waste (Oregon)
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
food waste (Oregon)
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
food waste (Oregon)
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
food waste (Oregon)
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality 23
“zero waste” and “circular economy”
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality 24
Zero Wastes, or Zero Waste?
All Wastes, or just Solid Waste?
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
circular economy
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
challenges of “landfill aversion”
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1. Frames the problem as a “waste” problem2. Appears to deactivate/undermine solutions in the
upper tiers of the hierarchy3. Contributes to “wishful recycling” (= contamination)4. Encourages “design for recovery” at the (potential)
expense of “design for environment”
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality 27
the “disposal problem” is much smaller than the “production-consumption” problem
1%
99%
DisposalProduction
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
Potential to undermine/disactivate other solutions
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
the “waste management” hierarchy
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Equals?
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
the “waste management” hierarchy
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Not Disposal (Good)
Disposal (Bad)
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
Oregon’s approach (goals)
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Reduce Generation (Reduce, Reuse)
Increase Recovery (Recycle, Compost,
limited energy recovery)
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
landfill aversion → contamination
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
NORPAC, Longview
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
NORPAC (Longview) pulper rejects as suppliers switched to commingled collection
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0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
% P
ulpe
r Rej
ects
1997 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality 35
Recycling, if not done well, can cause harm
Photos: Megan Ponder
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality 36
“Recyclable” not always lowest impact
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
life cycle assessment
37
Life Cycle Assessment is
“the compilation and evaluation of the inputs, outputs and the potential environmental impacts of a product system throughout its life cycle.”
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
US EPA coffee study
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CoffeePackaging
(11.5 oz product)
Recyclable postconsumer?
Energy Consumption (MJ/11.5 oz.)
CO2 eq Emissions (lbs/11.5 oz)
MSW Waste Generated (lbs./ 100,000 oz. of product)
Steel can – yesPlastic lid – no
4.21 0.33 1,305
Plastic container – yesPlastic lid - no
5.18 0.17 847
Flexible pouch - no
1.14 0.04 176
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
life cycle impacts
39
cumulative energy demand
freshwater consumption
global warming potential
ozone depletion
human health
aquatic toxicity
eutrophication…
[impacts]
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality 40
recycled contentbiobased content recyclable compostable
cumulative energy demand
freshwater consumption
global warming potential
ozone depletion
human health
aquatic toxicity
eutrophication…
[attributes]
[impacts]
life cycle impacts and material attributes
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
DEQ attributes study (2017 – 2018)
41
Research question:
How well (and when) do popular material attributescorrelate with reduced environmental impacts?
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
material attributes: research approach
42
Source:http://cccrg.cochrane.org/
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
evaluation: an example
43
Source:http://cccrg.cochrane.org/
Tuna
Tuna12 oz. steel can with recyclable
12 oz. laminate pouch not recyclable
Reported GWP (global warming potential) Value
(lb CO2e per 100,000 oz)
1946.8
485.8
GWP for packaging with attribute GWP for packaging without attribute
= 1946.8485.8
= 4.01
1.0ratios: 1.25
worse (higher impact) better (lower impact)
0.75
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
evaluation framework
Category Ratio Interpretation
Meaningfully Lower Life Cycle Impact <0.75
Suggests the attribute is potentially a good indicator of environmental performance
Marginally Lower Life Cycle Impact ≥0.75 and <1.0 Marginal difference
No difference 1.0 No difference
Marginally Higher Life Cycle Impact >1.0 and ≤1.25 Marginal difference
Meaningfully Higher Life Cycle Impact >1.25
Attribute is potentially not a good indicator of environmental performance
44
The lower the ratio value, the lower the environmental impact of the material(s) being evaluated (with the attribute) compared to the equivalent material without the attribute.
Ratio = Impact result with attribute A ÷ Impact result without attribute A
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
same packaging material with higher PCR vs. lower PCR
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
comparing different packages based on PCR
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
“recycling” ≠ “recyclability”
47
Recycle \rē’-si-kəl\ vt 1: to collect and treat used objects and materials that are ready to be thrown out in order to produce materials that can be used again
Recyclable \rē’-si-klə-bəl\ adj 1: able to be recycled
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
comparing different packages based on recyclability
48
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
popular attributes
49
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
LCA “what if” scenario assessment: coffee packaging
50
• Lightweight, non-recyclable plastic-foil bag
• Compare against 4 “recyclable” containers
Steel Can Plastic Tub Plastic “Jar” Paper “Can”
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
LCA “what if” scenario assessment: coffee packaging
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• Bias study to favor recyclable containers• Recyclables:
• Assume that all components will be separated and recovered with no additional effort
• Assume that all components will be recovered at the same rate• Assume that very high recovery rates will be achieved with no increase in
contamination or marginal increases in inputs (energy, water, time, etc.)• Assume that all recovered material will displace virgin material at a ratio of
1-to-1
• Assume no recycling, recovery or other improvements for the flexible bag
• Consider variable recycling rates (0 – 100%)• Calculate the “break-even” point where recyclable/recycled has equal (or
lower) impact as the non-recyclable bag
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
recovery rates where recyclables “break even” with non-recyclable coffee bag (environmental impacts)
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Steel Can Plastic Tub
Plastic Jar Paper Can
Blue water consumption 13% <0% <0%Primary energy, nonrenewable (net cal. value)AcidificationEcotoxicityEutrophicationGlobal warming (excluding biogenic)Human toxicity, cancer 33%Human toxicity, non-cancer 64%Smog
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
recovery rates where recyclables “break even” with non-recyclable coffee bag (environmental impacts)
53
Steel Can Plastic Tub
Plastic Jar Paper Can
Blue water consumption 13% <0% <0% 73%Primary energy, nonrenewable (net cal. value) 71%
Acidification 99%EcotoxicityEutrophicationGlobal warming (excluding biogenic)Human toxicity, cancer 33% 79%Human toxicity, non-cancer 64% 74% 85%Smog
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
recovery rates where recyclables “break even” with non-recyclable coffee bag (environmental impacts)
54
Steel Can Plastic Tub
Plastic Jar Paper Can
Blue water consumption 13% <0% <0% 73%Primary energy, nonrenewable (net cal. value) >100% >100% >100% 71%
Acidification >100% >100% >100% 99%Ecotoxicity >100% >100% >100% >100%Eutrophication >100% >100% >100% >100%Global warming (excluding biogenic) >100% >100% >100% >100%Human toxicity, cancer 33% >100% >100% 79%Human toxicity, non-cancer 64% 74% >100% 85%Smog >100% >100% >100% >100%
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
compostable packaging vs. non- compostable packaging
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
Oregon composters’ statement
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See www.dirthugger.com/organics-recycling/
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality 57
unsustainable circularity?
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
a modest proposal
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1. Adopt better goals and metricscapture and recovery rates; generation rates; actual environmental impacts
2. Drop the “landfill” frame in public messaging
3. Align collection with marketsfocus on quality; treat recyclables as commodities; design collection as a supplier would; require industry involvement
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
packaging extended producer responsibility (EPR)
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Source: EPI
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
a modest proposal (continued)
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4. Expand our toolboxwaste prevention; reuse; sustainable production and consumption
5. Design for environmentnot only design for recycling and composting
6. Build internal capacity to understand environmental impacts
7. Maintain recycling and composting as a means to an end
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality 61
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality 62
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
- Albert Einstein
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David Allaway | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
materials managementconserving resources · protecting the environment · living well
david allaway | [email protected]