Eco-efficiency assessment of municipal solid waste sorting treatment mode

The production of China's municipal solid waste (MSW) is large and grows rapidly. If not handled properly, it will bring great harm to our environment and society. In recent years, the waste sorting treatment mode advocated by government is a key link of waste reduction. The 3E+S evaluation model of eco-efficiency was established by comprehensively considering the impact of waste treatment on environment, energy, economy and society. Four kinds of waste treatment scenarios were constructed by integrating the waste source sorting and terminal sorting into the life cycle of waste treatment. The results showed that S3 (mixed collection and transportation + terminal sorting) had the potential optimal eco-efficiency, while S2 (source sorting and transportation + incineration) had the largest potential environmental impact and the highest life cycle cost due to the more complex of the process of source sorting and transportation. Moreover, the sensitivity analysis of source sorting on the eco-efficiency showed that source sorting was indeed an important factor affecting the environmental and economic performance of waste treatment. Reducing redundant unit process on source sorting of waste or promoting the use of terminal sorting technology (PGAS) which was as a representative to the new waste sorting technology of low pollution and low cost, can improve the eco-efficiency of waste treatment. © 2020, Editorial Board of China Environmental Science. All right reserved.