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Waste Indicators

Preface

The project on "Development of indicators to follow effects of initiatives within waste and recycling" was approved by the Danish Environmental Council for Cleaner Products in the summer of 1999. However, with the acceptance of the Danish Environmental Protection Agency project start-up was postponed for six months.

During the project, four steering committee meetings have been held with the participation of Berit Hallam, Jette Skaarup (first meeting) and Lone Lykke Nielsen (from second meeting), all from the Danish Environmental Protection Agency, and Carsten Lassen and Ole Dall from COWI.

In the first phase of the project, an analysis was carried out of existing methods and data basis for assessing possibilities of setting up life-cycle-based indicators for waste treatment. In the second phase of the project the proposed indicators have been tested on three material fractions: paper, glass packaging and aluminium.

The project is a pilot project, and the intention has not been to present a final and complete result of an indicator calculation for the entire waste management field. Thus, the project report only presents examples from selected fractions that are summarised in Chapter 1. Emphasis has been on discussing calculation methods, data basis and application of results. Methodological considerations and assumptions for calculations are presented in the report and its appendices.

The project report gives a description of the purpose and extent of carrying out a calculation of indicators for the entire waste management field. Furthermore, the report contains a Glossary explaining life-cycle and waste terms used.

The project has been carried out by a working group consisting of Ole Dall, Carsten Lassen and Erik Hansen, all from COWI, Rådgivende Ingeniører AS.

The project was completed in January 2002.