Life Cycle of Selected Package Waste

Abstract

One of the main priorities of the EU is the rational management of packaging as part of sustainable development. The Tetra pak analyzed in this work is a popular packaging material that is used to pack liquid food, i.e. juices, milk, etc. The Tetra pak is a multilayer material consisting of several layers, bonded under the influence of temperature, without the addition of glue. These packaging are disposable, and because it is a waste that is difficult to naturally biodegrade, it is a serious problem and a threat to the environment. Due to the growing public awareness and restrictive legal conditions in the field of waste management and related environmental protection, the interest and importance of methods assessing the impact of products' life cycle on the natural environment and the human body is increasing. This assessment covers the path from obtaining raw materials to the management of waste that arose from its use. One of such methods is the management of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The article presents the analysis of the life cycle of selected packaging waste, the course of the process of formation and recycling, including multi-material packaging, Tetra pak type. In addition, possibilities of the utilisation of Tetra pak in the pyrolysis process are discussed. The basic physicochemical properties of the analysed waste were presented, as well as the calorific value of the resulting pyrolysis gas was determined. The obtained research shows that the use of pyrolysis process for the utilisation of Tetra pak allows their mass to be reduced to 72% relative to their original weight.