Dilemmas in optimising the environmental benefit from recycling: A case study of glass container waste management in the UK

摘要

A fundamental challenge of sustainable development is to deliver massive improvements in resource efficiency, if projected economic growth rates are not to cause unacceptable levels of environmental degradation. An important element in the UK government's strategy to deliver on this compensation for growth agenda has been the policy commitments to increase levels of material recycling. Unfortunately, a number of technical, political and attitudinal obstacles stand in the way of achieving the targeted improvements in material recycling. For example, in the case of waste glass (or cullet) the imbalance between the colour mix in arisings of household and commercial glass container waste in the UK, and demand from UK glass container manufacturers, presents a significant barrier to closing the loop on this material flow. Efforts to resolve this imbalance have focused on alternative potential end uses for cullet and the resolution of related technical barriers, particularly in the use of cullet as secondary feedstock for aggregate and cement production.