Assessing the Ecological Cost of Material Flow in China’s Waste Paper Recycling System

This article introduces the concept of ecological costs associated with the waste paper recycling system. The costs associated with this process include resource consumption, waste emissions, ecological damage, and production processes. To analyze the ecological costs of deviations from the baseline...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSustainability Vol. 16; no. 4; p. 1610
Main Author Dai, Tiejun
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.02.2024
Subjects
Accounting
Accounting systems
Costs
Economic analysis
Electric rates
Emission standards
Emissions
Energy consumption
Environmental impact
Fossil fuels
Greenhouse gases
Landfill
Pulp & paper industry
Recycling
Waste management
Waste paper
China
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Summary:This article introduces the concept of ecological costs associated with the waste paper recycling system. The costs associated with this process include resource consumption, waste emissions, ecological damage, and production processes. To analyze the ecological costs of deviations from the baseline material flow in a waste paper recycling system, a benchmark material flow diagram is constructed using the material flow analysis method. The diagram illustrates a fully closed one-way material flow of the recycling system, which is highly abstracted and simplified. The study analyzed the ecological costs of the benchmark material flow and the impact of deviations from it. The results suggest that the circulation of materials within and between processes increases the ecological cost of the waste paper recycling system. Furthermore, the release of materials from a process into the environment also contributes to its ecological impact. However, the introduction of external materials into the recycling system can reduce its ecological impact, particularly if these materials are recycled resources. The study emphasizes the significance of considering ecological costs in waste paper recycling systems to minimize their environmental impact.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su16041610