Investigation into the polluting effects of the landfill

The aim of this study was to diagnose the environmental impacts associated with precarious waste management and propose environmental control measures to help mitigate the damage and recover the degraded area. The research was based on the theoretical assumptions of environmental impact assessment, integrated solid waste management and current environmental legislation, which prohibits the maintenance of open dumps and requires the proper disposal of waste. The methodology applied included the delimitation and georeferencing of the area of direct and indirect influence of the dump in the municipality of Quixelô-CE, the preparation of a simplified environmental diagnosis based on secondary data, field observations and recognized impact assessment techniques, such as checklists, the Ad Hoc method and interaction matrices. The results showed that irregular waste disposal significantly compromises the abiotic, biotic and anthropic environments, causing soil and water contamination, harmful atmospheric emissions, proliferation of disease vectors, loss of biodiversity and degradation of the quality of life of nearby communities.