Morgan Sindall: EGIP Rail Project, Contaminated Soil Removal
0 tonnes
Reconomy contracted to manage the disposal of 13,415 tonnes of soil on behalf of Morgan Sindall
£0 reduced
Total disposal cost reduced by over £200,000 by segregating hazardous and non-hazardous materials
0 tonnes
Only 877 tonnes of waste required disposal as hazardous material
Improvement programme
The Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) is a significant, multimillion pound investment by the Scottish Government. Set for completion in 2019, the project will deliver widespread electrification of the Scottish rail network, increasing its overall capacity by 30% and improving the fastest journey times between Edinburgh and Glasgow by 20%. As one of the principle contractors on EGIP, Morgan Sindall has responsibility for fulfilling the project’s core physical works on behalf of Network Rail. In June 2017, during routine testing of land to be excavated, a substantial area of contaminated soil was identified, estimated to exceed 13,000 tonnes.
To ensure its safe and compliant removal, Morgan Sindall approached a trusted selection of waste management contractors, including Reconomy, to tender for the work on a cost-per-load basis.In June 2017, during routine testing of land to be excavated, a substantial area of contaminated soil was identified, estimated to exceed 13,000 tonnes. To ensure its safe and compliant removal, Morgan Sindall approached a trusted selection of waste management contractors, including Reconomy, to tender for the work on a cost-per-load basis. The key drivers for Morgan Sindall awarding the contract were strict compliance with the relevant current waste regulations, together with the overall speed of the removal process, as any significant delay risked non-delivery of the project’s KPIs set by Network Rail.
Grid system
Morgan Sindall’s initial invitation to tender was based on all 13,000 tonnes of contaminated soil being disposed of as hazardous material. To try and find a more cost-effective solution, Reconomy’s dedicated Earthworks and Remediation team offered to complete a more detailed assessment of the soil. This involved establishing a grid system across the area and then systematically sampling each grid reference point to analyse the soil’s composition. The laboratory results from this process revealed that if the soil was carefully segregated at source, over 90% of it could potentially be removed as non-hazardous Having taken this into account, the contract was duly awarded to Reconomy.
Removal process
Within two working days of the contract being agreed, Reconomy had mobilised its supply chain and started the removal process. To ensure the agreed work programme was achieved and that hazardous and non-hazardous soils were removed correctly, members of Reconomy’s Earthworks and Remediation team based themselves on site for the duration of the process. The Reconomy team also oversaw all vehicle movements, calling them off against a daily schedule, and took responsibility for the correct completion of all duty of care and waste consignment notes. This relieved Morgan Sindall of any additional administrative pressures, ensuring that both they and Network Rail remained fully compliant. Though some additional testing was required mid-clearance, due to an increase in the overall volume of soil requiring removal, all work was completed efficiently and to the client’s satisfaction.
Achieving results
In total, 13,415 tonnes of soil were removed from the site over a nine-week period, requiring more than 700 vehicle movements. By efficiently segregating the contaminated soil at source, only 877 tonnes of waste required disposal as hazardous material. The remaining 12,538 tonnes were all disposed of as non-hazardous material. This represented a significant saving to the project when compared with the costs quoted for removing everything as hazardous waste. The Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme remains on course to meet its 2019 completion deadline.