Recycling and Life Cycle Assesment

Why should we recycle

• Requires less energy than making new
• Preserves resources for the future
• Prevents material going into landfills
• Cheaper than making new

Problems

• Requires infrastructure to collect and sort materials

4 main stages of the LCA

Raw Materials

• Raw materials come from the Earth's crust/atmosphere or oceans
• Obtaining these materials has an impact of the enviroment:
  • Using up limited resources such as ores and crude oil
  • Damaging habitats through quarrying, mining or felling trees

Manufacture

• Manufacture of products has an impact on the enviroment including:
  • Land for factories
  • Use of machines and people

Use

• Impact of a product on the enviroment during its use, depends on type of product
  • Chair wouldn't have a significant impact
  • A car would though

Disposal

• Disposal of old products has an impact on the enviroment including:
  • Land for landfill sites
  • Whether the product can be recycled/reused