Waste Management
According to the Environment Agency, the UK currently produces in excess of 300 million tonnes of waste every year. This is derived from a wide range of sources including domestic households, businesses, construction and demolition sites, sewage sludge, farm waste and spoils from mines and dredging of rivers.
During the development of land (greenfield and brownfield) it is likely that materials will be generated from activities on site that are excess to future requirements. Understanding the options available and the implications, both legal and financial, constitute an important factor in managing the development of land, which may be contaminated.
In accordance with Article 4 of the EC Landfill Directive the aim of all waste management operations, including recovery of soils, should be to prevent or reduce as far as possible negative effects on the environment, in particular the pollution of surface water, groundwater, soil and air as well as any resulting risk to human health.
It is important to recognize that the investigation and remediation of land contamination is risk-based, whereas the assessment and classification of contaminated soil as waste is hazard-based being dependent upon the presence of hazardous substances within the soil. It is vitally important to recognize this distinction when dealing with contaminated land as it is possible that a site deemed as a low risk may potentially generate hazardous materials for disposal.
At TGEN our consultants have extensive experience of dealing not only with the risk assessment of contaminated land but also the hazard assessment of contaminated soils. Correctly identifying, quantifying, classifying and assessing the nature of material or materials is critical in allowing waste issues to be managed in an environmentally sustainable and cost-effective manner.
For more information on our Waste Management services, please see the relevant pages detailed below, or alternatively contact Paul Brewer paul@tgen.co.uk for further advice.
- Hazard Assessment and Waste Classification
- Reuse, Recovery and Recycling of Soils