Materials Management
Where soil is fit for reuse on site, don't landfill - use a Materials Management Plan and high precision earthworks modelling
EPS does not encourage landfilling unnecessarily and neither do the waste management authorities. It is expensive, unsustainable, and so should really be the option of last resort. However, landfilling is often a necessity when groundworks have already commenced and time pressures come to bear.
What is needed is a plan for earthworks completed before any site works have started in earnest.
To maximise in-ground and stockpiled waste soils re-use and cost savings, a Materials Management Plan (MMP) is a popular and effective solution. An MMP is best prepared with ground conditions knowledge from a typical geo-environmental investigation, and with the benefit of high resolution digital survey data and 3D ground modelling – now offered by our Geomatics Department - to accurately model the most cost effective outcome for the site and development profile.
Often, the biggest risk cost for brownfield redevelopment is the unknowns below ground level – e.g. the made ground and soils which may be contaminated or not fit for re-use. Equally this area also offers the greatest potential for profit because the risk can be significantly reduced - and financial benefits realised - if addressed early through site specific risk assessment, accurate site modelling and a MMP.
Some further reading on MMPs: