Effect of Solid Waste Generation on Soil Quality Dynamics

Abstract The consequences of solid waste on soil quality were carried out by collecting Soil samples taken in triplicate from different soil layers (0-15cm, 15-30cm, and 30-45cm) and analyzed to determine the effect of solid waste on the physical and chemical parameters of the soil surrounding the research area, to ascertain the level of heavy metals in the soil and to compare values with the National Environmental Standards and Regulation Enforcement Agency and the World Health Organization recommended standards. The elemental composition of selected heavy metals from the dumpsite was done using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The mean values of soil pH ranged from 5.50–4.72 in the dumpsite and 7.51–6.99 in the control site in all three soil depths (0–15, 15–30, 30-45em) this indicates that the soil at the dump site was moderately acidic at 5.50 (0-15cm soil depth) and very strongly acidic at 4.72 (30-45cm soil depth), while that of the control was almost neutral at 6.77 (0–15 soil depth) and slightly alkaline at 7.51 (30–45 soil depth). The organic matter level of the soil varied significantly (P = 0.05), with the topsoil (0-15cm) having the highest concentration. The topsoil organic matter at the dumpsite soil was 14.72%, compared to 17.55% at the control site. This study found that the concentration of heavy metals such as cadmium, cobalt, copper, lead, manganese, nickel, and zinc in the dumpsite was substantially greater (p 0.05) than in the control site.