Identification of the environmental benefits of 11 recycling systems by means of life cycle assessment
For Swiss Recycling we have analyzed the environmental benefits of a total of 11 recycling systems in Switzerland for the reference years 2012, 2017, 2023 and 2025 (aluminum and tinplate cans, scrap metal, batteries, paper and cardboard, textiles, batteries, electrical and electronic equipment, PET and plastic bottles) by life cycle assessment.
The environmental benefits of recycling systems depend primarily on how to deal with allocations and credits for the reuse of resources. The challenge was to map the system expansion as meaningfully and correctly as possible. In doing so, we were able to bring in our know-how from various existing studies in the field of recycling and efficiently create an overall overview of the benefits of recycling systems in the household sector.
The study shows that material recycling pays off from an environmental point of view. It shows the total ecological benefit and serves Swiss Recycling as a positioning for the future path of Swiss recycling systems.