Recently iEnvironmental Australia (iEnvi) was contracted by a Sydney western suburbs Council to manage waste contaminated soil at a sports park in NSW.
Soil excavated at a sportsfield had been excavated for light footings. The soil contained elevated polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations and asbestos and fill rubble, associated with historical industrial fill, and environmental consultants had estimated more than $110,000 in disposal costs of approximately 2 skip bins of the material (11 tonnes).
iEnvi, along with partners SESL Australia developed an asbestos management plan which included:
- the removal of visible asbestos fragments by spreading out the soil on HDPE lined area with sediment erosion and dust control, and having an asbestos expert hand pick out the visible asbestos
- an asbestos clearance certificate was then issued
- the soil/fill was then sampled for residual asbestos (NEPM quantification)
- the soil/fill was placed into bulka bags and later loaded onto hijab truck
- a disposal centre was found in Victoria for PCB destruction after comparing options in NSW, QLD and Victoria
- NSW EPA and VIC EPA approvals was granted for transport and disposal and waste tracking
The soil was cleared of visible asbestos and then cleared of residual asbestos particles or fragments by sampling and analysis confirmation. This substantially lowered the disposal cost and allowed acceptance at a specialist PCB destruction facility in Victora.
iEnvi saved around $65k in disposal and consulting fees for the Council by using a more innovative approach and options that had not been provided by others, and essentially ‘going the extra mile’ for the client by exploring advantages from our specialist partners and waste contractors. iEnvi Project Manager Scott Palin (contractor) provided expert management to ensure delivery excellence and a fast turn around for the project, to free up Council’s time and ensure a good outcome was provided.
iEnvi are frequently contacted by Council’s regarding legacy contaminated material in parks and sportsfields. Our team has implemented soil and legacy landfill remediation and sportsfield design projects. There are novel reuse and exemptions for reuse of materials that can be used for capping, and soil that can be retained and separated for reuse/redesign – that can go to saving millions of dollars.
The legacy contamination underlying parks and sportsfields in our cities and towns can be a complex area for Council’s to manage and require a practical and often innovative approach to achieve a safe result for projects within budgets available. Combining risk assessment, novel capping/containment solutions and long term environmental management is often the most cost-effective solution, that provides safety for the environment and community, and environmental liability protection for Councils.
Got an asbestos or contaminated site problem? iEnvi are experts in contaminated soil and water management and disposal. Call us on 13000-43684 or email [email protected] for advice and solutions.