Converting plastic waste into wood-plastic composite products – A practical environmental impacts assessment using primary data

Abstract

Wood-plastic composite (WPC) is a construction application that can accommodate a higher proportion of recycled plastic without compromising engineering properties. However, existing environmental impact assessment (EIA) studies of WPC production have four deficiencies and underestimate the environmental impacts. There are (1) outdated inventory data; (2) incomplete production processes; (3) unreasonable or unclear burden allocation between product life cycles; and (4) a preference for mass allocation over economic value allocation.

This study addresses these gaps using primary data from three Australian recycling businesses converting collected recyclables into WPC products. Results indicate previous studies underestimated climate change impacts by up to 30 %. Sorting out plastic waste by polymer type at material recovery facilities (MRFs) is identified as a critical strategy to mitigate these impacts. Additionally, this study revealed the application gap between theoretical and industry practices regarding burden allocation between product life cycles. Future research agenda is recommended.