Material flow analysis of recycling systems

Sarah Schmidt and David Laner

Chapter 8 in Handbook of the Circular Economy, 2020, pp 89-98 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Material Flow Analysis (MFA) is the central tool to investigate resource use patterns and identify recycling potentials as well as losses throughout the material life cycle. In this work, the use of MFA and MFA-based indicators as a means to assess the circularity of waste and recycling systems is illustrated. First, a brief description of MFA methodology is provided and selected MFA-based material efficiency indicators are defined in a consistent manner to assess the performance of recycling systems. Subsequently, a case study on PET beverage bottle management in Germany is used to illustrate MFA-based material efficiency assessment and to highlight the relevance and limitations of different indicators. The case study results show that beverage bottle recycling in Germany is characterized by already high collection and recycling rates, but that significant potentials for improvement remain regarding qualitative aspects of PET recycling.

Keywords: Economics and Finance; Environment; Geography; Politics and Public Policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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