Page 71 - Solid Waste Analysis and Minimization a Systems Approach

LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT 49

2.7 Life Cycle Assessment

2.7.1 OVERVIEW

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a proactive product-focused approach to minimizing
waste or by-products. LCA analyzes the wastes generated that are associated with a
specific product over its entire life from cradle to grave. In other words, LCA analyzes
the product’s life from procuring raw materials to final disposal (or reclamation). This
is in contrast to waste exchanges that take a reactive approach, which aid in diverting
wastes from landfills after they are generated with little thought to reducing the waste
from the start of the process. The term “closing the loop” is often used with the LCA
process. The concept involves examining the entire cradle-to-grave process as a con-
tinuous loop. Figures 2.11 and 2.12 display the components and overview of the life
cycle analysis respectively. The idea is to prevent waste materials or by-products from
leaving the loop, hence closing the loop. By closing the loop, solid waste can be min-
imized by preventing its generation in the first place. For example, bottle deposits in

Materials
resources End-of life issues
and extraction (recycling, etc)

Processing
Materials for
impact on
environment green energy
LIFE CYCLE
ANALYSIS

Use of
Design for
sustainable
sustainability
materials

Economic,
social and
legislative issues

Figure 2.11 Life cycle analysis components.