Reuse, Recovery & Recycling
Once the decision to excavate and dispose or treat soil has been made it is important to ensure that the recovery or disposal activity is permitted, exempt or subject to other relevant controls. Regulation 17 of the WMLR 1994 (as amended) allows for certain waste recovery and waste disposal activities to be exempt from the waste management licensing regime.
The reuse or recovery of discarded materials is one of the primary goals in the government's and local authority's waste management strategies, in accordance with the Waste Management Strategy 2000 for England & Wales (DETR May 2000) and planning policy guidance (e.g. PPG10).
Materials that are either suitable for re-use on site or recovery for use in construction and/or landscaping projects, often local to the arisings, is generally accepted as being environmentally sustainable, whilst being cost effective, when compared to landfill.
Recovery of soils may take place as part of an exempt activity or under a standard rules permit or a bespoke permit. In each case the operation must meet the relevant objectives of the Waste Framework Directive, which includes the following:-
- To ensure that waste is recovered or disposed of without endangering human health and without using processes or methods which could harm the environment and in particular without:-
- risk to water, air, soil, plants or animals; or
- causing nuisance through noise or odours; or
- adversely affecting the countryside or places of special interest
Sites operating under an appropriate exemption, standard rules permit or bespoke permit still need to impose regulatory control in order to ensure that any risks do not lead to harm to human health or the environment. In addition, it is essential that accepted waste types do not increase the pollution potential at the recovery site.
At TGEN our expertise includes:-
- The risk assessment of potential recovery sites
- The monitoring of recovery operations, i.e. soil, water and dust monitoring
- Assessment of soils suitable for re-use on site, or recovery or recycling at appropriately permitted facilities
Our aim is to provide our clients with a cost effective and environmentally sustainable solution to managing waste soils within the legislative framework.