Impact of Wastes on Some Properties of Soil around an Active Dumpsite in Ibadan, Southwestern Nigeria

Recently most farmers in developing country like Nigeria has resulted to the use of solid wastes as compost to replenish the deteriorated soils while some are farming on the abandoned waste dumpsite due to their richness in organic matter. This study assessed the soil nutrient and fertility status by investigating the influence of wastes (if any) on physical and chemical properties of soils in and around Lapite dumpsite for environmental sustainability. Ten soil samples each collected from three locations: dumpsite, downslope and upslope sites at depth of 0-20cm were analyzed for soil texture, bulk density, porosity, electrical conductivity, pH, organic carbon, organic matter content (OMC), total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorus (AP), Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu, Pb and Ni. Significant differences were observed on soil physical: moisture content (18.05-38.11 %); Bulk density (1.01-1.54 g/cm3); porosity (49.09-74.56 %) and chemical properties: : OMC (1.39-5.98 %);TN (0.58-1.60 %); AP(0.35-1.09 %) among others in soils from the studied location sites at p ≤ 0.05; however, no remarkable impact was noticed on soil texture. This study has shown that deposition of wastes has impacted the physical and chemical properties by improving soil organic matter contents and increasing nutrient contents such as exchangeable bases and micronutrient, thus enhancing soil organic matter, fertility and productivity status of the soil for maximum plant growth. However, increase in heavy metal concentrations in dumpsite soils call for incessant assessment and monitoring, thus sorting, reuse and recycling should be encouraged to reduce the metal loads over time