Municipal plastic recycling at two areas in China and heavy metal leachability of plastic in municipal solid waste

Abstract The total plastic waste generation in China has not been reported due to a lack of information on diverted recyclable wastes. This study was conducted with two objectives: to identify the characteristics of plastic waste generation, recycling, and compositions in informal and formal waste management sectors in selected Shenzhen (SZ) and Honghuatao Town (HT) study areas in China and to measure the leachability of the heavy metals of waste plastics using the synthetic precipitation leaching procedure (SPLP) and leaching tests with different pHs. The results showed that film plastic waste occupied the largest proportion among plastic components in the mixed MSW. It is estimated that the plastic waste generation rates in SZ and HT were 0.20–0.33 kg/capita/day and 0.08–0.14 kg/capita/day, respectively. The plastic recycling rates of SZ and HT ranged from 6.24 to 11.93% and 16.84–33.31%, respectively. Among the measured heavy metals, Ba, Zn, Cu, Mn contents were high in most plastic samples. In addition, Mn, Pb, Ni, and Zn in plastic wastes occasionally exceeded Chinese national drinking water standards in the different pH leaching tests and SPLP. Therefore, it is suggested that plastic waste should be managed in a controlled manner.