During several visits to the Cebu City landfill in the Philippines, plants were observed growing within the area, including on top of the garbage piles. Studying the response of these plants is important in assessing which can be used in remediating metal contaminated soils. This study aimed to determine whether the plants in the Cebu City landfill excluded or accumulated cadmium (Cd) and chromium (Cr) in the plant tissues. The floristic composition of the landfill was analyzed prior to the sample collection. The samples were acid-digested before the desired elements were measured using atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). The Cd and Cr concentrations in the plant root-zone soil were also measured using AAS. The results indicated that the landfill substrate was generally acidic based on the results of the pH measurement. Of the 32 plant species sampled, Cyperus odoratus showed potential for Cd uptake and internal transfer; Cenchrus echinatus, Vernonia cinerea and Terminalia catappa for Cr uptake, and Cynodon dactylon for Cr internal transfer. The plants in the landfill differed in their response towards the heavy metals. To confirm the behavior of C. odoratus towards Cd, and C. echinatus, C. dactylon, V. cinerea, and T. catappa towards Cr, controlled experiments are recommended, as the plant samples analyzed were collected from the field.
Plants and trees have significant value in maintaining the balance cycle of the environment. The purpose of this study was to describe the awareness of the nearby residents on the presence of plants in a landfill and their perception on the uses and role of these plants particularly in pollution mitigation. A survey questionnaire composed of three main topics, namely on: [a] the operation of the landfill; [b] the awareness and perception of the residents on plants growing in the landfill and [c] their perception on the role of plants on the uptake of pollutants, was developed. Majority of the respondents agreed that the waste materials thrown to the landfill were pollutive, hazardous to human health and can contaminate the surrounding areas. The respondents were not aware that the pollution problem can also be mitigated with the application of chemicals, and they deemed that they did not get any benefits from the plants, except for the medicinal value of some plants. The majority of the respondents were not aware that plants can help mitigate the pollution problem. However, they agreed that plants and trees should be planted in the landfill to absorb excess water or the pollutants. Keywords - Ecology, plants in landfill, awareness of residents, pollution mitigation, Laguna, Philippines
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.