[PERSON] et al. compared the efficiencies of Soxhlet, ultra-sonication and mechanical shaking for the extraction of PAHs in soil and found that the ultra-sonication method had the highest extraction efficiency compared to Soxhlet and shaking [9]. QuEChERS, an acronym for Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe, is a dispersive and fairly new solid-phase extraction (SPE) technique. The technique's advantages are speed, ease of execution, minimal solvent requirement and cost [10]. This technique was initially developed for extracting multi-residue pesticides from fruits and vegetables. However, it has now been extended to other sample matrices, including soil and other compounds such as PAHs [11; 12; 13]. In QuEChERS, the sample preparation is performed in two steps: analyte extraction followed by dispersive SPE (extract clean-up). The sample is first ground and then sieved to give a uniform surface area. The sample must be at least 80% hydrated in order to maximise extraction. Therefore, water is usually added before adding a solvent and salt to the sample; the salt aids in the separation of water and the organic phase where the extractants are contained [14]. A portion of the organic phase is then transferred to a clean-up tube containing a combination of sorbents for the removal of possible interferences in the sample. Although the use of this technique reduces solvent consumption and extraction times, it also has its limitations. This is noticeable where samples have high fat content and low water content, as the effect of purification becomes non-ideal, with large losses of analytes, and thus the efficiency of extraction can be low [15]. [PERSON] et al. compared the extraction of PAHs using QuECHERS and Soxhet techniques in fish from two different dams in South Africa. The study found that the concentrations of PAHs obtained with the use of the QuECHERS method were comparable to Soxhet extraction, though for some PAHs, the QuECHERS gave slightly higher results [10]. In MAE, microwave energy is applied to heat solvents in contact with samples, achieving the partition of the target compounds of interest from the sample into the solvent [16]. The MAE technique is vastly used because it complies with the minimum criteria required for modern sample preparation techniques, and provides a very attractive alternative to conventional approaches for the extraction of organic compounds from a wide variety of matrices [17]. MAE also provides the possibility of simultaneously extracting multiple samples, drastically improving sample output. Ultrasonication extraction mainly involves the use of high-power ultrasound to accelerate solvent penetration into solid materials and it is a good alternative to linear shaker extraction. The ultrasonic uses mechanical vibration as the linear shaker extraction, but with a shorter timer. Once the PAHs have been extracted from the sample matrix, they may be determined satisfactorily using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography (GC) with various detection techniques. However, GC coupled with a mass spectrometer is preferred as it offers robust identification of the analyte compounds both by retention time and mass spectrum, with additional structural information [18]. Therefore, the aim of this work was to develop and compare the efficiency of the UE and MAE, followed by either filtration, or filtration with SPE cleaning of samples, for determining concentrations. This was followed by evaluating the source of origin and assessing the human health and ecological risks of PAHs. The filtration and cleaning with SPE was performed so as to ensure that impurities were sufficiently removed, as they tend to camouflage the analyte of interest, leading to underestimation of concentrations. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first time an analysis of PAHs from the studied sludge landfill has been conducted. Thus, the potential human health effect which could result from the presence of PAHs in the study area was revealed for the first time.