The Impacts of Abattoir Waste on Soil and Water Quality: A Review

Abattoirs are vital for providing well-processed meat, but they also contribute to environmental pollution through the large amounts of waste produced, often disposed of untreated into surrounding water and soils. Waste contains high organic matter and toxins, resulting in significant alteration of the physicochemical properties of receiving soil and water and increasing the microbial load of these environmental systems, degrading their quality. Numerous researches have therefore been done to call to attention the impact of these wastes. Highlighting the impact of abattoir activities, most studies focus on its influence on physicochemical and microbial levels in water and soil. Determining these levels provides useful insights into the extent of pollution caused by abattoirs to the surrounding environmental system. This review, therefore, using various studies on abattoir influence on soil or water properties shows the effect of abattoir waste on the quality of affected soil and water. The study further explores management practices that can help reduce the impact of abattoir waste to receiving ecosystem.