Instead of disposing of old gravel media and replacing it with virgin materials, WasteSURE can refurbish and reuse
Success Criteria:
- Avoid a disposal route
- Guaranteed compliance
- Environmentally friendly solution
- Saving money
Project Details
Gravel media is commonly used in the water industry to filter hazardous materials. However, over time, the gravel itself becomes hazardous and must be replaced with non-hazardous materials.
The problem is that replacing the gravel is an expensive solution that isn’t particularly environmentally friendly. Our challenge was to find a fully compliant solution that would make better use of the gravel media, be more environmentally friendly and save money too.
Innovative Thinking from WasteSURE
The most obvious answer to this complex problem was to reuse the gravel media instead of disposing of it and replacing it with costly virgin materials. To do this, we needed to make sure that the gravel could be refurbished to be fully compliant.
WasteSURE brought a rotate bucket that attaches onto an excavator to site, offering a highly efficient way to refurbish the gravel media by removing the contaminants. This is a permitted method for gravel reuse and, even better, could be achieved on site.
Treating the waste onsite was the most environmentally friendly option as the waste didn’t need to be moved to landfill and no virgin materials were required. Washing and reusing any material is always more sustainable than replacing like for like. Even better, treating the waste onsite was much more efficient and convenient for our clients as the process took less than 2 days to complete.
Our client saved a huge amount of money because they didn’t need to transport the waste, pay the Landfill Tax or buy virgin materials.
The Results
Permitted Alternative to Disposal
We arranged the correct permits to allow our clients to treat and reuse their gravel media onsite, avoiding a disposal route and transport costs.
Environmentally Friendly Solution
We significantly reduced the carbon footprint of the project and avoided putting any waste into landfill. Reusing the refurbished material meant that no virgin material was required; washing media is significantly more sustainable.
Saved Money
Our clients saved a significant amount of money using this solution. They didn’t have to pay for new materials, transportation or cover the Landfill Tax. We also ensured that the rotate bucket was only hired for the duration it was needed to reduce the cost further.
