ALUMINUM WASTE CANS RECYCLING IN LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA: ANALYSIS OF SOIL AND WATER BENEFITS

The study empirically evaluated the environmental (water and soil) benefits of aluminum waste cans recycling in Lagos State, Nigeria. Soil samples were collected from three locations using a soil auger the locations were aluminum at the recycling site, soil 100m away from the recycling site, and soil 150m away from the recycling site. From each location, three soil samples were collected and taken to the laboratory for analysis of soil physicochemical properties and heavy metal contents using standard methods. Similarly, a random sampling technique was employed to collect 3 borehole water samples 100m away from the recycling site and 150m away from the recycling site using 750 millimeters of a SMART plastic container. The collected water samples were taken to the laboratory for analysis of heavy metals using standard methods. The results obtained revealed that high contents of physio-chemical properties of OC (2.96%), Ca (10.92 cmol/kg), Mg (0.77 cmol/kg), K (0.24 cmol/kg), Na (0.57 cmol/kg), exchange acidity (0.33 cmol/kg) and ECEC (12.46 cmol/kg) were found in soil 100m away from the recycling site. Also high content of Av. P (23.27 mg/kg) was found in soil 150m away from the recycling. The contents of OC, P, Ca, Mg, K, and ECEC increase with distance away from the recycling site. No significant variations were found in the contents of OC, TN, P, Ca, Mg, K, Na, ,Al and ECEC (p>0.05). The content of Fe (223.87 mg/kg) was found to be high at the aluminum waste cans recycling site (discharge point) and low in soil 150m away from the recycling site while high Mn (2.62 mg/kg) content was found in soil 150m away from the recycling site and low in soil 100m away from the recycling point. The contents of Fe, Mn, Pb,Cd and Zn were withwhomWHO maximum permissible level indicating low concentration in the soil. A negative and significant association was observed between Zn and Cd (rho = -0.812, p<0.05). High Fe (259.18 mg/L), Pb (2.49 m,g/L) and Zn (16.01 mg/L) contents were found in the wastewater (discharge point), while high Mn (56.42 mg/L) content was found in the borehole water sample. The contents of Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn were the above WHO permissible limit. Based on the findings, the study concluded that the government should set up modalities to control the discharge of substances into the soil and water.