A recycling activity is a Treatment activity with a By-product output that can displace Determining products from other activities. This distinguishes recycling activities from other treatment activities by the valuable nature of their outputs and their potential to substitute for virgin or primary products.
Treatment activities represent a specific category of transforming activities where the reference product carries a negative sign, indicating that the activity provides a service of treating or disposing of materials. Whilst many treatment activities simply dispose of materials or transform them into other materials that still require further treatment, a recycling activity generates outputs with positive economic or environmental value that can enter back into the production system.
The defining characteristic of recycling activities is the displacement potential of their by-product outputs. These by-products can substitute for Determining products that would otherwise need to be produced through separate, often virgin material production activities. This displacement is crucial in Life Cycle Assessment modelling, as it represents a system-level benefit that avoids the environmental burdens associated with primary production.
For example, a recycling activity that processes waste aluminium to produce recycled aluminium can displace the need for primary aluminium production from bauxite ore. Similarly, recycling activities for plastics, paper, glass, or other materials produce by-products that can substitute for virgin materials in manufacturing processes, thereby reducing overall resource extraction and processing burdens.
This concept aligns with the broader understanding of by-products in LCA, where product outputs capable of displacing determining products from other activities are always classified as by-products. In recycling activities, this displacement function represents the core value proposition and environmental benefit of recycling as a waste management strategy.
