Cradle-to-grave approach

Under RCRA, waste producers are required to take a cradle to grave approach to waste management. The producer of the waste is legally liable from the moment that waste is produced until its final disposal. A waste generator must identify waste material as hazardous waste if it is on a regulatory list or has a characteristic of flammability, toxicity, corrosivity, or reactivity. Once a material has been identified as hazardous waste, it must be clearly labeled and tracked when in transport. The waste must be treated in special facilities to low levels of contaminants. The final residual solid material, for example, incinerator ash, must be disposed into a registered hazardous waste landfill. 

This assessment applies to all of the lifecycle, in what is called a cradle-to-grave approach, given that at each stage in the lifecycle, there is consunption of energy and resources, and generation of environmental, social and economic impacts. 

Figure 9.6 Different phases of LCA model of cotton yam based on cradle-to-grave approach. http //buddhajeans.com/dictionaryAife-cycle-assessment-cotton-yam-lca/.

The process tree consists of inputs, outputs, waste and emissions of the set of economic and physical processes which contribute to the service provided by the previously-determined functional unit. It is drawn up based on the functional unit itself and the scope of the study. There is agreement at large on applying a "cradle-to-grave" approach, to cover the steps from the extraction of natural resources to waste management, including reuse, recycling, incineration, and disposal. 

RCRA Subtitle C is the cradle-to-grave approach of managing hazardous waste, including generation, storage, shipment, treatment, and disposal. Under RCRA, neutralents produced by the RRS and the MMD may be classified either as listed or characteristic hazardous wastes. If the neutralent waste stream contains phosgene, it will either be classified as a listed hazardous waste, or, if it is corrosive (pH >10), as... 

Total quality management (TQM) A cradle-to-grave approach to cjuality assurance that integrates all aspects inside and outside of a particular organization or Idj. 

The use of RRM, however, is not by itself a guarantee of low environmental impact. Aspects such as the production processes, the technical performance and the weight of each final product, and its disposal options, have to be carefully considered along all the steps of the product s life. The engineering of biobased materials for specific applications using life cycle analysis in a cradle-to-grave approach is therefore a critical aspect. 

By 1976, problems caused by the accumulation of large quantities of hazardous waste prompted Congress to pass the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). This legislation gave EPA the responsibility of developing a cradle to grave approach to hazardous waste. 

Because a LCA ideally encompasses a cradle-to-grave approach, it can be clearly seen that LCA fits like an appropriate tool for quantitatively assessing the environmental burdens associated with the design and operation of a SC. Two... 

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