Evaluating the performance of 3R options to reduce landfill wastes using the 3R indicator (3RI): case study of polyethylene factories in Thailand

Petrochemical wastes are generated in significant amounts, and most of them are considered to be hazardous. In this study, we investigated the potential of the reduce, reuse, and recycle (3R) strategy to help reduce landfill wastes from polyethylene factories in Thailand. The sources of industrial wastes were identified as follows: (1) production processes; (2) maintenance programs; (3) packaging; and (4) waste treatment systems. The existing waste management options primarily consisted of fuel substitution and fuel blending. After 3R options were proposed, the performance of selected 3R options was evaluated. In this study, a new metric, the 3R indicator (3RI), was introduced to indicate the performance of 3R options based on both quantitative and qualitative measurements. The 3RI performance analysis indicated that high-density polyethylene plant has 3RI = 3.52 with 87.83 % landfill waste reduction, linear low-density polyethylene plant has 3RI = 0.71 with 17.83 % landfill waste reduction and that linear density polyethylene plant has 3RI = 2.85 with 69.51 % landfill waste reduction. This indicator can be used to measure environmental progress in terms of reducing landfill waste based on the 3R strategy.