Method to Develop Potential Business Cases of Plastic Recycling from Urban Areas: A Case Study on Nonhousehold End-Use Plastic Film Waste in Belgium

Cost-benefit analysis of selective collectionand recyclingof nonhousehold end-use plastic waste indicates that it is economicallyattractive and crucial toward plastic sustainability.Waste managementof nonhousehold end-use plastic waste receivesconsiderably less attention compared to household waste. This articledevelops and applies a cost-benefit analysis model to develop potentialbusiness cases for selective collection and mechanical recycling scenariosof nonhousehold end-use plastic film waste from urban areas consideringthe City of Ghent in Belgium and 12 municipalities nearby as a casestudy. Three different collection frequencies (weekly, fortnightly,and monthly) and two different mechanical recycling plant layouts(basic and advanced configuration) are considered. Data on waste quantity,composition, and economic parameters are collected from real samplingfrom urban areas combined with information from the literature. Inthe most favorable scenarios, results show that the annual costs ofcollecting and recycling are estimated to be in the range of euro635to euro1,445/tonne output, depending on the collection frequenciesand plant configurations. Mechanical recycling yields 48-77%regranulates, depending on the plant configuration and feedstock quality.Scale is essential for plastic recycling plant development; a positivenet economic balance (ranging from euro5 to euro537/tonneoutput) is achieved when at least 10 500 tonnes/year of wasteis collected (fortnightly or monthly) and processed. The recyclingsystems become economically more effective as the processing capacityincreases. It is imperative to maintain high feedstock quality asrecycling systems become economically less favorable when the residuecontent in the collected plastic film waste exceeds 30-35%.A greenhouse gas emission calculation indicates that minimizing residueand promoting high-quality feedstock from collected waste are thekey to increasing the carbon footprint savings of recycling.