Abstract:
Open dumpsite has become the most widely used and common practices in most of the
developing countries in waste management due to their lack of will, technology, capital and virtuous
attitudes. This has elevated the risk to the ecosystem and humans derived by the improper dumping of
waste in bare lands, sloping lands (valleys, river banks), wet lands etc. Characterization of waste is an
important primary stage in studying dumpsites in sloping lands to identify its effects and potential remedial
actions, and to develop new technologies to reduce their adverse effects on the environment and society.
In this research, waste characteristics of some selected plots located at up and down slope of a dumpsite
were studied to identify the possible difference and their relationships with the slope. The results revealed
that waste characteristics such as ash content, combustible content, ignition loss and aggregated soil
content vary in the plots located at up and down slope, suggesting that the rolling and sliding of larger
particles in high sloping dumpsites has a profound effect in varying waste characteristics. This was further
confirmed by the particle size distribution of both plots.
