Source analysis of chlorine in municipal solid waste under waste classification: a case study of Hangzhou, China

Inorganic chlorine is susceptible to water and soil salinization due to its non-degradability and high mobility. To clarify the environmental risks associated with the active inorganic chlorine in municipal solid waste (MSW), the specific characteristics and contributions of inorganic chlorine in different MSW categories were investigated in this study. MSW samples were collected from eight representative waste classification residential areas in Hangzhou, China. It was found that the inorganic chlorine content in different MSW categories varied significantly (0-113 mg/g). Perishable waste, paper, and plastic were found to be the main sources of inorganic chlorine in MSW. A four-category classification system was used to quantify the contribution of inorganic chlorine from each waste category. It was found that the misclassification of inorganic chlorine contributions from perishable waste and other waste accounted for 51.96% and 48.04%, respectively. However, when correctly classified into the four-category system, their contributions were reduced to 67.14% and 30.65%, respectively. Therefore, MSW classification showed a significant reduction in the overall contribution of inorganic chlorine. The misclassification reduces the contribution of inorganic chlorine to 48.04%, while correct classification increases the reduction to 69.35%.