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Waste Soil and Landfill Classifications
Blog
December 19, 2019
Waste soil is being produced from every construction project up and down the UK. Any excavated soil that can’t be re-used must be disposed of at a permitted landfill site. For soil to be disposed it must first be classified in accordance with the Waste (England & Wales) Regulations to determine whether or not it has any hazardous properties. Once determined, the waste must be given a European Waste Code (EWC)
Once the waste has an EWC, a decision can be made on the type of landfill the material will be accepted at. The landfill site must be permitted to accept this type of waste. This can either be:
- Inert
- Non-Hazardous
- Hazardous
What is Inert Soil?
Inert isn’t a term you hear every day, but it is commonly used when referring to waste soils. The definition of Inert material is a material that hasn’t been contaminated by harmful substances such as heavy metals or chemicals, or in other words, is clean! Inert waste isn’t chemically or biologically reactive and is deemed as a safe material. Here are a few examples of inert material:
- Garden Soils
- Tested Inert Soils
- Stones
- Hardcore
- Concrete
Due to the safe nature of inert soil, they typically require low disposal fees compared to that of non-hazardous and hazardous material.
What is Non-hazardous Soil?
Non-hazardous waste is material that contains a limited concentration of harmful substances such as heavy metals or chemicals. The concentrations need to be limited in order to prevent them from reacting with each other and becoming hazardous. Given this, Non-hazardous soils must be disposed of in a compliant manner. Any non-hazardous material needs to be disposed of in a site that has a specific landfill cell that prevents contact with the natural ground and pollution of groundwater. Here are a few examples of non-hazardous material:
- Heavy Metals
- Chemicals
- Material previously containing invasive species
What is Hazardous Soil?
As the name suggests, hazardous soil is harmful and can be a threat to both public and environmental health. The soil will have high levels of heavy metals or chemicals which cause the soil to become hazardous. There are strict permits on the acceptance of these materials due to the harmful and reactive nature. they need to be disposed of in a compliant manner or treated to make sure the material is no longer a threat. here are a few examples of hazardous materials:
- Asbestos
- Chemicals
- Heavy Metals
- Solvents
- Oils
- Pesticides
All Booth Ventures void space for waste recovery is sold via GMAT. If you need compliant waste recovery solutions contact GMAT HERE
