Municipal Solid Waste: Current Global Status and Insights into Analytical Approaches/Techniques for Metal Analysis of Incineration Residues

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management remains a global challenge. With landfilling generating environmental concerns and with a significant portion of waste being subjected to incineration due to limited land availability and recycling infrastructure, incineration reduces waste volume, and produces incineration residue, including ashes, which can be sources of environmental contamination, especially due to the presence of toxic metals. This review provides an overview of the current global status of MSW management, with a focus on the environmental impact of incineration and the techniques used for analysing metals in incineration residues. Analytical methods, such as Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS), Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), and Microwave Inductive Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (MIP-OCP) are highlighted, along with their applications and cross-country/regional studies of metals in incineration residues. Finally, the paper also explores suitable sampling methods, mineralizatio/digestion methods and what parameters to evaluate for more efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable approaches for managing and analysing metals in incineration residues.