The Assessment of Physicochemical Properties of Municipal Solid Waste Leachate from Dumpsites in Ovia North-East Local Government Area, Nigeria

Physicochemical Properties of Municipal Solid Waste Leachate from Dumpsites

Abstract

Municipal solid waste collection is the gathering of solid waste (SW) from the point of production (residential, industrial, commercial, and institutional) to the point of treatment or disposal. Waste collection is the main component of waste management that links waste generators to the waste management system. Leachates arise as a result of the infiltration of precipitation to the interior of dumpsites and landfills, but at the same time water present in the wastes and released in different processes taking place in a dumpsite also contributes to the generation of leachates. In this research work, the physicochemical assessment of leachate in three open dumpsites in Ovia North East Local Government Area, Edo State was carried out in this study using standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater by APHA, 2005. The findings from the research work shown that the pH of leachate sample from the three samples were ultra-acidic (5.1 m -5.9 m) with electrical conductivity of in the range of 4750 µS/cm to 8700 µS/cm. The physicochemical analysis indicated the hazards of open waste dumping, as leachate in these dumping sites contains ammonia, calcium carbonate, nitrate, sulphate and other heavy metals which can percolate and contaminate surface water and ground water thereby, causing public health issues and environmental pollution.