Comparative LCA of two approaches with different emphasis on energy or material recovery for a municipal solid waste management system in Gipuzkoa

Applying the LCA framework, this work shows that when a high share of waste is collected separately, and processes assumed in the background system are adequately characterized, especially the production of the electricity mix, then prioritizing material recovery provides better results even in environmental categories tightly related to fossil energy consumption, such as the global warming potential impact category.