International expert group on life cycle assessment for integrated waste management

Abstract

Managing waste sustainably requires an assessment of the environmental costs and benefits of alternative waste management practices on a more sound and objective basis. The International Expert Group on life cycle assessment for integrated waste management (IEG) is a leading group of environmental experts with an interest in using Life Cycle techniques to inform waste management decision-making. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a technique that can be used to provide information about the likely polluting emissions and predicted environmental impacts of alternative designs for products or services. LCA for waste management specifically focuses on the environmental consequences of discarding waste materials and consumer products, identifying the costs of waste collection, treatment and any potential benefit of utilising the discarded material. Through iterative examination of various treatment alternatives for wastes, LCA can help identify optimal environmental solutions for managing wastes, without risking that the choice of decisions will result in a worsening of the overall impact. The IEG holds biannual workshop-style meetings to share international knowledge in the research area and to progress research activities. The meetings consist of presentations on life cycle modeling, LCA case studies for municipalities and specific waste streams, as well as pioneering research on decision-making and interpretation. Technical matters and issues of consistency of approach are also addressed during meetings through the knowledge and research activities of members and through the invitation of guest experts to meetings. This article provides an introduction to the work of the IEG and a summary of discussions from the 11th meeting of the group.