National Recycling Coalition

Environmental Benefits Calculator

What the Calculator Does

This Environmental Benefits Calculator generates estimates of environmental benefits, based on the number of tons of specified materials recycled, landfilled and incinerated in a particular geographic region.  The calculator yields detailed tables and accompanying graphs for each of the following:

1.      Waste Management Overview

2.      Reductions in Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Recycling

3.      Energy Savings from Recycling

4.      Life-Cycle Stage Comparisons

5.      Air Emissions and Waterborne Wastes

6.      Select Natural Resource Savings

7.   Number of Trees Saved

How the Calculator Works

The calculator is based on per-ton figures for energy use and emissions estimated in several recent lifecycle analysis studies.  The estimates are average figures based on "typical" facilities and operating characteristics.  The model tailors results to a particular region based on the amount of materials recycled in that region.  The model assumes a baseline of 100 percent landfilling -- i.e., a ton of material recycled is assumed to have otherwise been destined for a landfill.  Users can adjust this baseline by entering data on tons landfilled and incinerated in their region.

How to Use the Calculator

Step 1.  Click on the "Data Input Sheet" tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet. For your jurisdiction, enter information in each green colored data box as prompted.  To run the calculator, data for a minimum of one category of recycled materials is required.

Step 2. Click on the results sheet tabs at the bottom of the spreadsheet.  The sheets include automatically generated tables for each of the environmental benefits identified above, along with descriptive graphs accompanying each table.  Print each sheet for a summary of environmental benefits associated with the recycling and disposal figures input in Step One.  See below for a detailed explanation of each of the summary tables.

Explanation of the Calculator Results

There are many details involved in deriving environmental benefit estimates.  The calculator uses statistics from several different sources, and involves important assumptions and caveats.  Following is an explanation of each of the nine summary tables.

Table 1.  Waste Management Overview is a restatement of the waste management data input by the model user.

Table 2. Reductions in Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Recycling is based on the data and methodology developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.[i]  EPA based most of its calculations on data from Franklin Associates,[ii] Research Triangle Institute, [iii] and research on methane emissions by N.C. State University.  The calculator estimates reductions in emissions from recycling by calculating the difference between the net emissions if the materials were disposed and the net emissions if they were recycled.  Emissions estimates are derived from estimated climate change impacts of both energy use and non-energy process activities.  Recycling process activities include collection, transportation, processing and manufacturing, assuming recyclables replace virgin materials.  Incineration activities include collection, transportation, processing, generating electricity, and recovery of scrap steel.  Landfill activities include collection, transportation and landfill operation. Landfills are assumed to have the national average distribution of no recovery of landfill methane (51 percent), recovery and flaring (25 percent), and recovery and

electricity generation (24 percent). Emissions calculations for this latter category include an emissions "credit" for avoided utility emissions. Column three presents the net greenhouse gas reduction, based on the quantities recycled and the assumed baseline.  EPA was used as a source since it is fast becoming a standardized source for greenhouse gas estimates, used by states and other entities throughout the nation, and because it represented a recent effort based on a broad review of sources.  However, it should be noted that other sources are independently investigating greenhouse gas implications of recycling; most notably the Tellus Institute,[iv] the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF),[v] and EPA's Office of Research and Development.

Table 3.  Energy Savings From Recycling is based on the energy use estimates cited by EPA in deriving greenhouse gas estimates.[vi]  Average energy use figures for each life-cycle stage were taken from Franklin and RTI studies,[vii] as cited by EPA.

Table 4.  Life-Cycle Stage Comparisons presents the net energy used in each waste management activity (recycling, landfill and incineration), as well as the net energy credit allocated to recycling and incineration.  Unlike the previous tables, it is based on average figures for a "typical" ton of recyclables, using an average of figures from Franklin Associates and the Tellus Institute, as cited by Richard Dennison of the EDF.[viii]  Tonnage from Table 1 included as "recyclables commodities" is used as the basis for the estimates.

Table 5.  Air Emissions and Waterborne Wastes presents estimates of air and water emissions resulting from recycling (including collection, processing, transportation and substitution for virgin materials in manufacturing) and resulting from the current mix of incineration and landfilling (including collection, processing, landfill operations and/or incineration electricity generation).  Like Table 6, it is based on average per ton figures for a "typical" ton of recyclables, and was derived using average statistics from Franklin Associates and Tellus, as cited by EDF.[ix]  The "recyclable commodities" from Table 1 was used as a basis in the calculations.

Table 6.  Select Natural Resource Savings presents estimates of resource savings associated with ferrous steel recycling (including iron ore, coal and lime stone).  Unfortunately, precise estimates for natural resource savings associated with other recycled materials are not available.  Forest resource savings associated with paper recycling have been most comprehensively analyzed in the literature, but because of complex market dynamics and widely varying environments in which wood pulp is harvested, it is difficult to make meaningful estimates for trees saved or forest lands conserved.   The most comprehensive review of paper recycling impacts is series of reports put out by the Environmental Defense Fund's Paper Task Force.

Table 7.  Number of Tress Saved From Recycling presents estimates of the number of trees saved from recycling various grades of papers.  These calculations represent "ballpark" estimates, and are based on revised estimates from Conservatree on the number trees it takes to make paper from both the "groundwood" process and the "free sheet process".

Who Developed the Calculator

The model on which the calculator is based was originally developed by Ed Boisson and Associates for the Northeast Recycling Council, with funding provided the U.S. EPA, Region II.  To create this calculator, the National Recycling Coalition (NRC) has modified the original model to enable usage by broader audiences, and to streamline the process for data entry and identification of information sources.  In addition, the NRC has added an additional section on the number of trees saved by recycling paper.  Lastly, on behalf of EPA's Office of Solid Waste, ICF Consulting recently revised the calculator to ensure consistency with EPA's WAste Reduction Model (WARM). The WARM model is available on EPA's website at <http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/ActionsWasteWARM.html.>. Background on the WARM emission factors are presented in Solid Waste Management and Greenhouse Gases: A Life-Cycle Assessment of Emissions and Sinks (EPA 530-R-02-006), available online at <http://www.epa.gov/mswclimate/greengas.pdf>.  For additional information on the calculator, please contact Michael Alexander of the NRC at (802) 254-3338 or at michaela@nrc-recycle.org.

End Notes

[i]  See U.S. EPA, Solid Waste Management and Greenhouse Gases: A Life-Cycle Assessment of Emissions and Sinks (EPA 530-R-02-006), available online at http://www.epa.gov/mswclimate/greengas.pdf.  See also U.S. EPA, revised "WARM" model, August 2004, available online at http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/ActionsWasteWARM.html.

[ii] Franklin data is from: "The Role of Recycling in Integrated Solid Waste Management to the Year 2000,"  for Keep America Beautiful,  1994, and individual reports.

[iii] Research Triangle Institute developed life-cycle data sets to create a municipal solid waste Decision Support Tool (DST) on behalf of EPA's Office of Research and Development.  For further information, refer to the project web site at http://www.rti.org/units/ese/p2/lca.cfm#life.

[iv] Tellus is currently engaged in greenhouse gas (GHG) related studies involving lifecycle analysis of recycling in the states of Minnesota and Iowa.

[v] Perhaps the most detailed commodity specific life-cycle analysis to date is EDF's Paper Task Force, "Recommendations for Purchasing and using Environmentally Preferable Paper," 1995.  Several White Papers investigate the environmental impacts of paper manufacture, recycling and disposal in detail.

[vi] See note 1.

[vii] See notes 2 and 3.

[viii] Denison, Richard.  "Environmental Life-Cycle Comparisons of Recycling, Landfilling and Incineration: A Review of Recent Studies."  Annual Review of Energy and the Environment. 1996.  21:191-237.

[ix] Ibid.

[x] Ibid., page 223.