Environmental Impacts of Milk Packaging Made from Polythene Using Life Cycle Assessment

Abstract

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is induced to examine the environmental impacts in the life cycle of milk package from polythene, and to compare the environmental impacts from different plastic package waste treatments in this article. The data of the mass and energy fluxes and the environmental emissions are obtained from literatures and sites investigation. The application of LCA by using Eco-Indicator 99 has made possible the comparison of the environmental impacts of three treatments. The results of this LCA study are discussed and reveal that the environmental impacts of plastic package from raw materials supply period is highest, over 90.2% of total environmental impacts in its life cycle except treatment stage. The plastic package contributes more to Fossil fuels, Respiratory inorganics and Climate change. While the contribution of Carcinogens, Eco-toxicity, Acidification and Eutrophication is less. The environmental impacts from plastic package waste is highest in landfill treatment followed by incineration and recycling, which landfill and incineration can append 16.1% and 5.3% of additional environmental impacts respectively, compared to that before plastic package come into waste stream. In contrast, recycling can reduce 75.9% of environmental impacts more significantly.