The Impact of Municipal Waste on Seasonal and Spatial Changes in Selected Macro- and Micro-Nutrient Contents on the Background of Soil Biological Activity—A Case Study

Abstract

Landfilling is the least desirable of waste management methods, but despite tightening legal regulations it remains among the most common. Assessing the impact of landfills on the soil environment is even more important when there are arable lands in their vicinity. Therefore, the study examined soils on and directly adjacent to a landfill. Soil samples were collected from eight points (S1–S8) on the landfill premises, and from one more (S9) and a control (C), both of which were outside the premises. The parameters analyzed were pH in KCl and the contents of: organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorus (AP), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), total iron (TFe), total manganese (TMn), available iron (AFe) and available manganese (AMn). The activities of alkaline (AlP) and acid (AcP) phosphatase and phosphorus microorganisms (PSM) were tested. The results of biological parameters were used to calculate the resistance index (RS). The soils were alkaline (pH in KCl 7.09–7.65 at S1–S8). Using the RS index values for AlP and AcP the resistance of the soils was: AlP > AcP. The negative values of RS for PSM in most cases indicate a heavy human impact on this parameter. The tested points were found to have been significantly affected by changes in the content of bioavailable P, K and Mg. The total content of tested trace elements in the analyzed soil material did not exceed the geochemical background value. The soil in a sector that had been closed off for two years (S2) showed the highest biological activity. The physicochemical and biological parameters used in the research show the scale of processes going on in the soil environment and the degree (or lack) of its negative exposure to the influence of municipal waste stored at the Municipal Waste Disposal Plant.