Abstract
The by-products of solid waste deposited in a landfill has adverse effects on the surrounding environment and humans living closer to landfill sites. This study sought to test the hypothesis that the deposition of waste on landfill has an impact on the surrounding environment and residents living closer to it. This was achieved by evaluating the perception of the respondents drawn from people living close (100–500 m) and far (1–2 km) from the landfill site, concerning environmental issues, health problems, and life satisfaction. Results from the study showed that 78% of participants living closer to the landfill site indicated serious contamination of air quality evident from bad odours linked to the landfill site. Illnesses such as flu, eye irritation and weakness of the body were frequently reported by participants living closer to the landfill than those living far from the landfill. More than half of the participants (56%) living closer to the landfill indicated fear of their health in the future. Thus, the participants living closer to the landfill site were less satisfied with the location of their community with respect to the landfill, than those living far from the landfill site. Therefore, the need for a landfill gas (LFG) utilisation system, proper daily covering of waste and odour diluting agents are necessary to reduce the problems of the residents living closer to the landfill site.
Highlights
Landfills are a major contributor to the world’s anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions because an enormous amount of CH4 and CO2 are generated from the degradation process of deposited waste in landfills [1]
Complex chemical and microbiological reactions within the landfill often lead to the formation of several gaseous pollutants, persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals and particulate matter [8,10,11,12]
The results show that the participants living closer to the landfill site are less satisfied with the variables posed in this study than the participants living far from the landfill site
Summary
Landfills are a major contributor to the world’s anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions because an enormous amount of CH4 and CO2 are generated from the degradation process of deposited waste in landfills [1]. Landfill operation is usually associated with contamination of surface and groundwater by leachate from the landfill (mostly if the landfill lacks adequate liners), pungent odour, loud disturbing noise from landfill bulldozers, bioaerosol emissions; volatile organic compounds [2,3,4,5,6,7]. The storage of leachate in open lagoons can influence the levels of odours experienced in a landfill site. Some other pollutants associated with deposition of waste on landfills include litter, dust, excess rodents, unexpected landfill fires, etc. The factors that influences the by-product or emissions from landfills include the kind and quantity of waste deposited, the age of the landfill, and the climatic conditions of the landfill sites. Complex chemical and microbiological reactions within the landfill often lead to the formation of several gaseous pollutants, persistent organic pollutants (such as dioxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), heavy metals and particulate matter [8,10,11,12]
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