Soil Classification for Disposal

At TGEN we have a wealth of experience in the assessment and classification of soils for disposal off site. The correct classification of waste soils is an important factor in ensuring that any off site disposal is carried out in an environmentally sustainable fashion but also that development costs are kept to a minimum.

We use our in-house TGEN Soil Classification Tool designed to follow The Agency Technical Guidance WM2; Interpretation of the Definition and Classification of Hazardous Waste (April 2011, 2nd Edition Version 2.3) to accurately classify soils for disposal following a staged approach:-

  • Assessment of the process generating the waste soils
  • Material description of the waste soil(s) in accordance with the List of Waste (LoW) Regulations 2005.
  • Assessment of the composition of the waste to determine whether it contains any dangerous substances.
  • Assessment of hazardous properties H1 to H15 set out in Annex III of the Revised Waste Framework Directive (rWFD)
  • Based on our experience and a comprehensive understanding of soil chemistry the most likely compounds are selected from the many thousands of compounds in CLP 2009 and run within the TGEN Soil Classification Tool.

The first output of the TGEN Soil Classification Tool is to differentiate be between a hazardous (17 05 03*) and not hazardous (17 05 04) classification.

Once this differentiation has been made it is possible to enter further data into the TGEN Soil Classification Tool such as the results of Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC) testing, which provides the second output with classification of the waste soils as:-

  • Inert Waste
  • Non-Hazardous Waste
  • Stable Non-Reactive Hazardous Waste
  • Hazardous Waste

All of the information, soil descriptions, soil test results, soil classification outputs are then put together within a Basic Waste Characterisation Schedule (BWCS) which provides a comprehensive assessment of waste disposal options, which can be submitted to proposed waste management facilities for assessment.

At TGEN we consider that accurate assessment of waste soils is imperative in ensuring cost effective project delivery.

For more information on soil classification, or if you would like to arrange for a brief seminar into the classification of soils for disposal please contact Paul Brewer paul@tgen.co.uk for further advice.