Methodology for recycling potential evaluation criterion of waste home appliances considering environmental and economic factor

An evaluation method to assess recycling potential considering both the environmental and economic aspects was suggested for the material recovered from waste home appliances. Life cycle assessment (LCA) method was applied to obtain the environmental score (S_Env), and the actual value & static economic model was used to obtain the economic score (S_Eco). The S_Env of recycled glass and circuit board showed the highest value (11.97), followed by copper (9.37), iron (6.77), and plastic (3.67). The S_Eco of recycled copper showed the highest value (6.97), followed by aluminum (5.23), iron (5.15), plastic (4.82), and glass and circuit board (3.50). The recycling potentials for the recyclable materials were calculated by weighting S_Env and S_Eco with the factors obtained from analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method. As the result, the recycling potential of copper was the highest, followed by iron, glass, and circuit board, and aluminum. This calculated data and methodology would provide a useful data for decision makers and product designers in the design for environment (DfE).