RECYCLING LIFE-CYCLE ANALYSIS OF NEWSPRINT - A EUROPEAN VIEW - IT MAYBE BEST TO USE ONP FOR ENERGY RECOVERY

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a method for making a comprehensive eva luation of all the material and energy resources needed for a product or service during its physical life, as well as the emissions involved . At KCL, a dedicated computer program has been developed for LCA purp oses. One of its first applications concerns newsprint. The analysis i s based on systematically collected data. Two cases of maximized maxim ized collection rate are studied, the first involving greater paper re -use and the second energy recovery from waste paper. These are compar ed with the reference condition in Europe (Germany) in 1990. The LCA i nventory calculations show that, if the landfilling rate is to be redu ced, it is ecologically preferable to use more waste paper for energy recovery rather than to maximize recycling. Besides carbon dioxide bal ance, several other emission parameters (though not all) support this conclusion.