Three simple steps to taking waste to landfill

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Three simple steps to taking waste to landfill

 

Making sure waste from your construction or demolition site is classified before it goes to landfill is a legal duty for contractors. There are several stages to take before you can confidently deliver your waste to landfill – here they are in three simple steps:

 

Step one

 

Work out how your materials for disposal are classified in government guidance on different types of waste[https://www.gov.uk/how-to-classify-different-types-of-waste]. Construction waste must be classified as hazardous or non-hazardous before it can be tested further or taken to landfill.

 

Step two

 

If your waste is characterised as hazardous it will need to be tested against Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC) as this will determine which landfill site can accept it based on their waste license. Some non-hazardous or inert waste will also need testing so make sure you get expert advice on this.

 

WAC testing works by looking at how waste will behave once it’s buried in a landfill; specially what leaches out from it and the concentration of organic materials.

 

Step three

 

When it comes to taking your hazardous waste to landfill the site operators are likely to want to see your WAC testing analysis. This will help them decide if they can take it based on their landfill license and what they need to do with it next. Each landfill site is different.

 

How to arrange WAC analysis

 

WAC analysis isn’t a quick process so plan ahead to ensure you know exactly where your waste should be taken. This will speed up your waste disposal process.

 

At Envirochem we offer Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC) testing on:

  • contaminated soil
  • spent grit
  • industrial waste
  • other waste streams.

 

You could purchase one of our WAC self sample kits below;

 

Alternatively, Find out about these services and the analysis consultancy we offer by completing the contact form below or calling our WAC experts on 01329 287 777.

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WAC TESTING

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WAC TESTING

Envirochem undertakes Landfill Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC) testing:

WAC testing is used to determine how a waste will behave once buried in a landfill. This is carried out through analysis of leachate derived from the waste during laboratory analysis. Following testing, a certificate of analysis will be issued.

WAC testing can be carried out on:

– Contaminated soil

– Spent grit

– Industrial waste and other waste streams

 We also offer:

– Total metals by acid digest analysis

– Sample tubs free of charge

– Pick up service and site sampling available

Electrical Conductivity

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Electrical conductivity is the measurement of how well the water can pass an electrical current. Conductivity can be affected by the presence of inorganic dissolved solids; organic compounds do not conduct electricity very well so they have a minimal affect on conductivity. Conductivity is dependent on the temperature of the water, the warmer the water the higher the conductivity.

We can test for Electrical conductivity in our chemical laboratory in Fareham, for more information on this and all our services please fill our the form below or call us on 01329 287 777.

 

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Bromine

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Bromine is a brown/red liquid at room temperature. It is very volatile so it doesn’t occur as a liquid naturally; it is rarely found in a salt form, it is most commonly found as bromide in the ocean because of the high solubility of the bromide anion.

Envirochem offers testing for both Bromine using colourmetrics and bromide using an IC.

 

For more information on this please contact us on 01329 287 777 or fill out the form below;

 

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Phosphate – Ion chromatography

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Phosphate is a good compound to have in soil as it helps plants grow and is commonly found in fertiliser, its availability may govern the rate of growth of plants. We test for it using an Ion chromatography. High levels of phosphate are good for topsoil, but it does not have a limit for WACs, effluent and processed water. Phosphate is an important component in the structure of DNA, it forms the backbone of DNA by bonding with sugar molecules. Phosphate is the most soluble form of phosphorus in water.

 

For more information on this service and all our services please fill out the form below or call on 01329 287 777

 

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We offer testing for a range of Anions

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Chloride is the anion of Chlorine and is very soluble in water; it is an important part of sea water and table salt. Chloride is often tested for in various water and soil samples, residues after fires and in concrete water.

When plastics burn in the event of a fire they can produce chloride. The chloride can then settle on surfaces, such as concrete, it then absorbs water and creates a corrosive substance that can attack the structure of the building.

We also offer testing for other anions such as Fluoride, Nitrate, Nitrite, Bromide, Phosphate, Sulphate and Sulphide.

For more on this service please call on 01329 287 777 or fill out the form below;

 

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New GC-MS and GC-ECD

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New GC-MS and GC-ECD

Our laboratory now boasts a new Gas Chromatograph – linked Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS) and a new gas chromatograph with electron capture detector (GC-ECD)

These two new instruments both increase and update our laboratories capabilities.

The new GC-MS is more sensitive and is equipped with a splitter allowing one injected sample to be separated on the column and then analysed by mass spectrometry for polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as well as simultaneously being analysed for petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH, mineral oil).

The PAHs are tested either as total or speciated (EPA 16), similarly the hydrocarbons are tested as total or speciated or banded (CWG banding with aromatic / aliphatic split)

This new GC-MS / FID is therefore allows two analyses to be run at the same time on the same sample. Doubling our throughput, and reducing turnaround times for both soil and water extracts.

The new GC-MS also allows more rapid analysis of Coal Tar samples.

New method development is under way on the GC-ECD that will allow massively improved detection limits for Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and pesticides in water.

 

For more information on this and all our services please fill out the form below or call us on 01329 287

 

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Envirochem were recently approached by an individual client who requested a Lead in paint survey be carried out on a property they wanted to purchase.

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Envirochem were recently approached by an individual client who requested a Lead in paint survey be carried out on a property they wanted to purchase.

An individual client used Envirochems website to contact us and to request a Lead in paint survey on a property they wanted to purchase in Reigate. The client had a Home-buyers Report carried out on the property they wanted to purchase and it was highlighted that due to the age of the property, Lead paint may have been used in the decoration of the building. With concerns of the Lead content in paint and with a young child, the client wanted the paint from various areas of the building checked before remediation works are carried out within the property. With the aid of the client, sampling areas were agreed and scrapings from various surfaces were taken of the paint, labelled and bagged and taken back to the laboratory from analysis. Paint sampled are digested in Aqua Regia using microwave digestion and subsequently analysed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrophotometry (ICP-OES) using our UKAS accredited procedure (please note, Envirochem are only accredited for the analysis of Lead in paint and not the sampling of lead in paint). A report was subsequently produced to report the results.

Envirochem can carry out a variety of paint analysis for individual home buyers and other clients. If you require any of our chemical analysis services, occupational hygiene services, asbestos or microbiological services, please contact us on 01329-287777, or fill out the form below;

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Water Analysis – Effluent water suite

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The most commonly requested suite of water analysis is our effluent water suite. This includes suspended solids, ammonia and biological oxygen demand (BOD) and is often carried out on the inlet and outlet sections of water treatment systems to check the efficiency of the process.

In addition to tests required to satisfy Environment Agency (EA) guidelines, we can also accommodate testing requests to meet extra guidelines set by individual local authorities, such as testing for pH, metals, anions and organics. We can also look at the particle size of the suspended solid to determine the correct size of filter needed to remove it from the water.

If you wish to contact us about this service or any of our other services please see below;

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Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)

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Envirochem offers a large range of colourmetric testing. Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) is a good initial indicator of how hazardous a liquid sample is.  COD is the total measurement of all chemicals in the water that can be oxidised. It is similar to Biological Oxygen demand because it provides an index to assess the effect of discharged waste water on the environment. It is sometimes used instead of BOD because of its shorter test time.

 

If you require this service or for information on any of our other services please fill out the form below

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